Ryan Woods at The Echo – Live Review

Ryan Woods, The Echo, Los Angeles, CA., July 30, 2025

When you are invited by a highly respected publicist to see one of Fearless Records’ newest signings at the last minute – and she tells you she wishes she could fly out and see the set – and then you can’t find a single photographer to commit to the experience.  No time to go home and grab the point and shoot. What do you do?  Well, you take the cell phone and go anyway. And all I can say is, every photographer on my staff missed shooting one of the superstars of tomorrow. His name is Ryan Woods, and his soulful voice, impassioned songs, and positive drive will send him crash landing into the stratosphere of success. For now, Ryan Woods found himself performing a headlining show at The Echo in the heart of Los Angeles, and what a vibrantly memorable night each and every audience member would witness.

Ryan Woods presents dreamy indie pop with a massive amount of heart and conviction. If you use Shawn Mendes as a starting point and then go back to another time where artists like Elton John and George Michael reigned supreme, you are only just beginning to envision what Ryan Woods has in store for you. Looking stylish with a voice sent from heaven, Ryan Woods proceeded to enrapture the audience as he brought them into his world of enlightenment and intrigue.

A new album entitled Godboy is currently in the works, and Ryan would introduce quite a few songs from what is sure to an all-out breakthrough for the artist. Ryan opened his set with the rapturous Garden followed closely by the wondrously infectious sounds of Good Swim, Full Speed Ahead, and King of the Basement. And any artist who even attempts to cover Loving You by Minnie Ripperton is risking it all, but Ryan absolutely mastered the difficult song, rendering it all his own with dynamically captivating vocals.

During the set, Ryan talked about his own personal struggles , teaming up with an organization called Hope Unite to bring more positivity and joy in the world. Business cards were available at the merch booth for anyone who needed them. Ryan’s own story is on their website, and you can read it here. But now back to the show.

The title track of Godboy was premiered, received very enthusiastically by the audience. His latest single Debbie with its “I just spent a week with Debbie Downer” refrains will stay jangling in your head for ages, and was a definite highlight of the night. Fan favorite Gun In The Glovebox was performed at the end of the show, sealing the deal with its stunning edginess.  Joining Ryan Woods on this live adventure were Kevin Moody and Alex Perdomo from the band Girlish, contributing their very own magic on guitar and drums.

Apologies for the crap cell phone photos, but you will be seeing further coverage and better pix of Ryan Woods here at Highwire Daze soon. Stay tuned, because we will be hearing lot more about the timeless reveries and dazzling live performances of Ryan Woods in the months ahead.

(Review and photos by Ken Morton)

Ryan Woods on Instagram