Last Tuesday and Wednesday, October 15th and 16th, L.A. band Wallows landed in Edinburgh at the O2 Academy for the European leg of their Model tour. The band, made up of childhood friends Dylan, Cole, and Braeden, lit up the stage of the O2 in a confident, dynamic, and well-balanced performance.
Dylan and Braeden, contributing the main vocals, arguably sounded even better singing together live than they do on recording as their voices effortlessly complemented one another. The third member of the band, Cole, who only emerged from his drumkit in the back once to sing “Quaterback” center stage, brought a more lighthearted element to the dynamic. He only spoke to the audience briefly during the show, to profess his newfound love for Greggs’ sausage rolls of all things, in a moment that underscored his subtle yet magnetic presence–a sentiment that could go on to characterize the band as a whole. His skillful ability on the drums was a constant throughout the show, particularly emphasized during his standout performance of “Worlds Apart” (give Cole more solos!!!).
The setlist shuffled through their best hits, from old fan favorites to new successes from their most recent album and tour namesake, Model. They revived some of their classics, like “Pictures of Girls” and “Uncomfortable”, imbued with a well-composed air that naturally comes from their maturation and experience as a band. In fact, they played some of them so well they’ve reentered my listening rota after years of sitting in defunct playlists.
About halfway through the show, the show seamlessly transitioned from a high-energy, punchy initial 14-song run into a softened, stripped-down interlude. Swapping the mic stands and amps out for some homestyle lamps and chairs, all without taking attention away from their performance of “She’s An Actress”, the trio sat down in center-stage to play in a bedroom-esque set-up. Calling back to their humble beginnings–the band began playing together as kids in 2011–-all the backing musicians left the stage, leaving just Dylan, Braeden, and Cole sitting in a close circle. During this easy-going interlude, they play three throwbacks: “1980s Horror Film II” (one of my all-time favorites that I was pleasantly surprised to see make an appearance on the setlist!) “Drunk on Halloween” and “OK”. These renditions seemed to be as nostalgic for them as they were for long-time fans, as the boys swayed together as if they were really back in one of their bedrooms in California. Though it may have benefitted from more acoustic instrumentals, the interlude was a nice and creative way to give themselves and the audience a breather without disrupting the momentum of the show.
For the last few songs of the show, Dylan requested that everyone put their phones away to enjoy the music through their own eyes rather than through their screen. Everyone, save a few (who we all silently shame) obliged. Their last few songs smoothly flowed into one another to close out a well-rounded show–Dylan shredding on the harmonica during “I Don’t Want to Talk” was definitely a highlight of the final section of the show.
The band finished the show with an encore performance of their most commercially successful song, “Are You Bored Yet?” It ended the show on a high note, as the audience ecstatically filled in for Clairo’s parts. Overall, the show was well-rehearsed yet low-key, emphasizing the band’s unique ability to consistently drop high-quality music over a decade since they began playing together.
Image credit: courtesy of Jada Horan