Lo Moon and MUNA brought an emotional, powerful, fun, intimate, and incredible experience to a sold out crowd at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge on February 11, 2017. Here is my review of the show written for KPSU.
Lo Moon
With only the debut single “Loveless” released, Lo Moon is a relatively mysterious band to much of the audience and it’s hard to know what to expect; however, the result from their performance was even more unexpected. Personally, I fall in love with many supporting acts from shows, but I’ve only been to a few where this was the case for the entire audience. There have only been a handful of shows I’ve seen crowds cheer and scream for openers, jump and move along to their music, excitedly discuss how great the band was after the set, and purchase merch/music from after the show (I witnessed Lo Moon sell out of vinyls while I was standing in the merch line). I knew Lo Moon had won the crowd when after their set I heard a man behind me scream, “Encore that shit!” MUNA couldn’t have chosen a better supporting act for their tour; Lo Moon became a favorite for everyone at Doug Fir, and anyone who showed up later in the night missed out on an incredible act.
Follow Lo Moon on twitter/instagram, and listen to their music on spotify/itunes
MUNA
I’ve seen and covered for MUNA one other time, while on tour with Grouplove (found here), but this was a completely different show and something much more special. After the release of their beautiful debut album, about u, MUNA set off on their first headlining tour. If the night couldn’t be more meaningful, MUNA’s show had sold out for the first time ever, merely hours before the show had started. Being at both shows, you can feel the difference from the crowd energy and performance between a supporting and headlining show. The energy from the crowd was unbelievable, and Doug Fir being a smaller, very intimate space certainly helped. Everyone was singing and jumping along to the music, all brimming with smiles and tearing up from the performance, and MUNA was the same. The energy from band members Katie, Naomi, and Josette mirrored the crowd. All three of them were moving and dancing around on stage, smiling back and engaging with the crowd, and having the greatest time on a very special night. Vocalist Katie Gavin stopped the set early on, explaining she doesn’t normally stop the set during this part, but felt compelled to with how much that night and this audience truly meant to her. Katie further explained this was the first time they had sold out a show, and coupled with it being their first headlining tour they felt like “a real band.” This is a show I will never forget and will forever be grateful for attending and being a part of. MUNA is a very special band that stand for something so special, and their album about u is a beautiful masterpiece that (despite it being early in the year) I know will be at the top of my favorites from 2017’s releases.
Follow MUNA on twitter/instagram, and listen to their debut album about u on spotify/itunes
