Sylvan Esso Shines at the Greek
Sylvan Esso performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jonathan Nack
Electronic Duo brOUGHT rave to their headlining LA show
American electronic-pop duo Sylvan Esso began the closing leg of their month-long tour with a packed show at the Greek Theater. The group is originally from North Carolina and is currently touring their 4th album No Rules (Sandy) which came out in 2022 on the legendary label, Loma Vista. Sylvan Esso has been a prominent player in the electronic space for almost a decade now, as their breakout self-titled record was released in 2014. Known for their forward-thinking production and intoxicating rhythms, I was very excited to see how they would translate that energy to the stage.
Sylvan Esso performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jonathan Nack
I arrived at the venue right around the time the doors opened to pick up my credentials for the evening and get a grasp of the stage setup to plan out how I would photograph the duo. I was immediately attracted to the minimal setup that they had put together with the centerpiece being a black square riser that looked like it was built in the year 2037. About 10 mins before the opener was supposed to go up I made my way to the photo pit to get ready for them. We were then greeted by two younger girls who go by the name Reyna Tropical. Having never heard of this artist before I was curious as to what they would bring to the stage. Almost instantly Reggaeton-like rhythms started to fill out the theater which had everyone on their feet instantaneously. After incredible song after incredible song the lead singer Fabi Reyna introduced themselves and spoke of the significance of LA to them. It’s the place where their former bandmate was from who sadly passed away a few years back. Fabi spoke of how happy she was that her work with him could live on and how she could share it with us with the backdrop of the city. They then continued on with the music as people made their way to their seats, some even dancing on the way to them.
Sylvan Esso performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jonathan Nack
Sylvan Esso performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jonathan Nack
The sun set while Reyna Tropical finished up their set, paving the way for Sylvan Esso to keep the crowd on their feet. With a quick stage turnaround, it was time for them to close out the night. Nick Sanborn who is the producer out of the duo entered by commanding a very elaborate synthesizer setup creating soundscapes that were absolutely stunning. With vocalist Amelia Meath right by his side not missing a word or vocal run the duo took us all on a sonic adventure. They opened with songs both new and old like “Ferris Wheel,” “Train,” and “Alarm,” with pulsing rave-like lights that almost put the two of them in the shadows. I always found it interesting when artists play within the shadows on stage instead of having full bright lights on them the whole time. It almost makes the concert more about the music than the image of the artist which I thought was quite admirable. The group worked in these beautiful breaks in between songs where Nick would create ambient soundscapes bouncing between a modular synth setup and then to a Juno 6. It created this seamless nature to the show almost like a DJ set where the songs were coming constantly and the rhythm rarely ever died down. One of these synthesizer breaks Nick seamlessly transitioned into their song “Radio” where Amelia did an outfit change coming out in an almost fairytale-like exaggerated round dress which set the crowd roaring with applause. The group then continued on through the night ending their set off with some of their most well-known songs like “Coffee,” which brought us to one final sing-along before we went on our way.
Sylvan Esso performing at The Greek Theatre, LA by Jonathan Nack