Review | Electric Guest at SOhO

As indie-pop artist Your Smith took the SOhO stage on an unseasonably warm Friday night, the packed crowd gushed forward like a wave spilling onto the patio. Smith beamed and danced through catchy songs “The Spot” and “Debbie,” casting a radiant glow over the audience. She even treated attendees to an impassioned cover of “I Love You Always Forever.” The bittersweetly groovy hit “Bad Habit” showcased her skills on guitar, and the audience swayed in blissful hypnosis.

Presented by We the Beat, it was the kind of show that felt like a competition between artist and audience of who could have the most fun. The smiles, eye contact, and connection only intensified when Electric Guest appeared, dressed all in white for their first show in “367 days,” according to frontman Asa Taccone. This pent-up artistic expression poured out ebulliently as Taccone danced through hits like “Oh Devil” and “This Head I Hold,” his pitch-perfect falsetto bursting through each song. The band, composed of drums, bass, guitar, and keys, provided the tight beats for Taccone to joyously riff off of as he gushed about how good it felt to play in Santa Barbara. 

The show’s love-fest continued as Taccone doled out roses (thorn-less, thank you very much) to enraptured fans, threw out dollar bills (fake) as he launched into the hit “Dollar” and even flung t-shirts out to the back of the house. Their addictively sweet closer, “Dear to Me,” perfectly encapsulated the mutual love and warmth that punctuated the sold-out show.

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