Citizen and Teenage Wrist at The Lodge Room Highland Park 

Citizen, Teenage Wrist, The Lodge Room Highland Park, July 14, 2018

Citizen

The Lodge Room in Highland Park, California displays a good deal of history right in the heart of the City Of Angels – and Citizen from New Jersey arrived in town to devastate the venue with their own exhilarating brand of indie rock and roll. Performing selections from their epic catalog including their most recent As You Please endeavor on Run For Cover Records, Citizen was in top form – and what a frenzied response they received from the capacity Lodge Room fan base. Although their headlining set commenced right before the Midnight Hour, the audience was anything was ready to retire! Circle pits, crowd surfing, and impassioned singalongs would ensue – even in the quietest of moments, the Citizen attendees should their ardent support! And what a thrilling night to remember this would be!

Opening with the slamming one-two punch of Roam The Room and The Summer from their debut album Youth, Citizen launched into a powerhouse set that was exciting to witness. Songs such as the dazzling Fever Dreams and the trippy In The Middle Of It All from As You Will presented Citizen at their most imaginative, and were absolutely explosive when unveiled live. Even when the cosmic reverie of Sleep was unleashed, the audience went through the roof with their adoration of Citizen’s brilliant artistry. And it’s always terrific to hear the moody inflections of Cement from their landmark Everybody Is Going To Heaven within a live setting.

The Citizen lineup remains as focused and resourceful as ever, featuring the talents of Mat Kerekes on lead vocals, Nick Hamm on lead guitar, Jake Duhaime on drums, Ryland Oehlers on rhythm guitar, and Eric Hamm on bass. A stunning presentation from a band who absolutely know how to connect with their fan base, a live Citizen extravaganza is a cathartic experience that is not to be missed!

Teenage Wrist

Citizen always secures a brigade of superb opening bands, and this tour was no exception. Queen Of Jeans opened the evening with a collection of ethereal tunes that were royally euphoric. Oso Oso presented a shimmering collection of pop rocking indie goodness with songs that were instantly memorable. And in direct support of Citizen was L.A.’s own Teenage Wrist, whose inspiring shoegaze rock was nothing short of astounding.

After some minor sound problems at the very beginning, Teenage Wrist proceeded to captivate the audience with an absolutely spellbinding performance. Featuring songs from their recently issued Chrome Neon Jesus magnum opus on Epitaph Records, Teenage Wrist performed with a thrilling amount of auditory magic and intrigue. Songs such as Supermachine, Afterglow, and Swallow were laced with vibrant musicianship and hypnotic vocals, filling the room with a mesmerizing wall of atmosphere sound.

Channeling legendary bands such as Ride and Catherine Wheel while embellishing the shoegaze tapestries with their very own sense of style and urgency, Teenage Wrist is sure to enrapture all who encounter their sonic artistry. With sets this thrilling, expect Teenage Wrist to be headlining their own tours very soon! In the meantime, check out their Chrome Neon Jesus studio album as well as their breathtaking live shows!

(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

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