Under the foggy haze of the stage lights at Koreatown’s El Rey Theatre on May 20, Swedish imports Shout Out Louds took the stage on the last leg of its North American tour.
Promoting its latest album, “Work,” the band played to a packed venue on the first of its two-night stay, supported by The Franks and Freelance Whales. Though these three bands weren’t perfectly matched in terms of energy, they did share the fact that each band boasted one female bandmate.
Los Angeles-based rockers The Franks got the night started with a 30-minute set of songs that all pretty much sounded the same. This dressed-up threesome played a handful of fast-paced, dancey punk songs that were fun but forgettable.
Queens, New York’s Freelance Whales were more in tune with Shout Out Louds’ audience. This mellow quintet focused on creating euphonic harmonies that, while pretty, drowned out the lead singer’s talented voice. The few times he had a chance to shine, he filled the theater with a sound reminiscent of that of The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy.
Shout Out Louds struck the perfect balance in energy ““ not too slow for a live show but still true to its general soft vibe. Though on recording it’s more sway-inducing than dance-inducing, Shout Out Louds translated wonderfully to the stage by picking up the pace on many of its songs.
It performed a fair amount from all of its three albums, rather than focusing on “Work” as was expected, and was ready to cater to the crowd’s taste as its older material got greater applause than the songs from its newest album.
One moment that got much praise in particular was during “Tonight I Have to Leave It,” the first song off of its sophomore album, 2007’s “Our Ill Wills.” The crowd roared when lead singer Adam Olenius whipped out his cowbell and subsequently went to town on it. He got as much as he could out of this moment as he knelt down and serenaded the front row.
While the haze from the red stage lights added to the band’s sultry stage presence, it also made the back row of musicians practically invisible. Drummer Eric Edman and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Bebban Stenborg were hard to see but easily and appreciatively heard. Stenborg’s subtle, silky backup vocals complemented Olenius’ scruffy sound on almost every song. And when she wasn’t singing, she was hosting everything from keyboards to tambourine to accordion.
The odd setup did, however, lend itself quite nicely to “Go Sadness” from their first album, 2003’s “Howl Howl Gaff Gaff.” All but Olenius and Stenborg cleared the stage for this downtempo rendition. Halfway through the song, Olenius joined Stenborg in her misty confines and sang over her shoulder as they shared her microphone. Their chemistry was palpable, and it turned an awkward layout into a captivating vision for about two minutes as the audience watched his dark-clothed figure pressed up against her light-dressed, angelic silhouette.
She returned the favor during “Very Loud” from the same album as she joined the boys up front, accordion in tow.
It was these extra touches that brought the band out of the shadows of a standard show, and the members’ endearing Swedish accents, only to be heard through their speaking voices, simply added to the band’s great stage presence. But it was their onstage chemistry mixed with a well-put-together set list that carried Shout Out Louds through a solid 90-minute performance.
E-mail Mohtasham at smohtasham@media.ucla.edu.