This article and photos were originally published by
Get Some Magazine in September 2019
A sold out show at summer’s end amongst famous gravestones and a Halloween celebration going off in the distance. The Allah-Las at the Masonic Lodge was an atmosphere and an event before even entering the building. A group of three or four young fans rushed past the door, the ticket taker yelled after them, only one turned around sheepishly and returned. The rest were long gone. The lone straggler walked off and minutes later, security was talking about him again…. he had tried to jump the wall this time and had been escorted off the premises. The Masonic Lodge is intimate and regal, comprised of rich woods and lush velvets. The stage was decorated in floral arrangements and the fragrance permeated the entire room. Is that something the Lodge always does, lest we forget we are in fact on cemetery grounds, or is it Allah-Las specific decor? I don’t have the answer to that, but it definitely created a vibe, a mood, a tone if you will. The crowd was scattered for the opener, Big Search. A pretty wonderful pairing, the energy was akin to the Allah-Lahs, surfy garage rock, and what a fun primer for the headlining act.
By the time the Allah-Las took the stage, the place was packed and rapidly becoming steamier with every pluck of a guitar string. Their specific brand of surf rock is somehow mellow and energetic simultaneously. Their crisp reverb is transcendental. It sounds like end of summer beach parties, shaggy hair, bonfires with best friends and the kiss you’ve waited eons for. The crowd swayed and twisted the night away, oftentimes with eyes closed, because like I said… that reverb is positively transcendental. The children of flower children dropping reverb instead of acid. Also cannot get over how polite the crowd was. I guess love was in the air.
Allah-Las are touring through December in support of their forthcoming album, LAHS (October 11th). A bunch of European dates scheduled followed by another trek around North America. Be sure to catch them on a leg of this tour, and get your tickets in advance so you can avoid rushing the door or attempting to scale walls, because even with love’s light wings… stony limits and security guards can still hold adoring, ticketless fans out.
Pre-order the new release and check tour dates/buy tickets here.
Angel Melanson 