Concert Review: Allah-Las, Tashaki Miyaki, November 27, Horseshoe Tavern

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If you’re into 60’s-style garage-psych rock, then I have a band for you: LA’s Allah-Las. But, chances are, you may have already heard of them. If the sold-out jam-packed Horseshoe Tavern was any indicator on Thursday night, then Allah-Las are definitely a known band.

Rolling through the bulk of songs from their self-titled debut and this year’s Worship the Sun, the band impressed with fantastic live versions faithful to their studio-recorded counterparts. The jangly guitar tone was impeccable and vocal harmonies were spot-on. Most of the highlights (for me) of the set list came from their debut: “Busman’s Holiday,” “Tell Me (What’s On Your Mind),” “Vis-à-Vis” and “Sandy.”

In a two-song encore, the set ended with the very danceable and 60’s-inspired “Every Girl,” the best track from Worship the Sun.

Though I rarely review (or even arrive in time to see!) support bands, I must make mention of Tashaki Miyaki, the LA trio that played before Allah-Las’ headlining set. Perfectly complementary to their tourmates, Tashaki Miyaki also sound like they take inspiration from the 60’s and garage rock. The one big difference (and an important one!) is that the vocalist sounds eerily like Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval. In a nutshell, this is how I’m describing Tashaki Miyaki: like a baby Hope Sandoval formed a lo-fi girl band version of the Jesus and Mary Chain. Basically? My dream band. I hadn’t heard of Tashaki MIyaki before this, but I was so properly impressed by their set that I made mental note to check them out after the show. Now I can’t stop listening to them. (Also, they’re not Japanese, so don’t even let their band name throw you off.) Moral of the story? Sometimes it’s a good idea to arrive early to see an opening band.

Posted on by Wini Lo in Concerts