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LA’s Allah-Las might best be described by Allmusic.com as “a reverb-drenched, moody version of garage rock.” That “mood” might be better described as “laid back.” There’s occasionally a riff worthy of The Who (“The Stuff”) or a spaghetti western, but broader influences are not needed for their straightforward pop-styled songs and hook-laden melodies.
Fans didn’t have much to argue about with the setlist. Singer Miles Michaud asked about a quarter of the way into the set whether they wanted to hear new stuff or old stuff. “Yep, always the old stuff.” It seems they expected that, as six songs were from their 2012 debut and only four from Zuma 85, their newest album released six months ago (disappointingly without “Dust,” a personal favorite).
The performance had the crowd swaying from the start, and that’s probably the perfect response to their music. The laid-back groove partly shapes what seemed like a perfunctory performance, but there are no verbal or instrumental theatrics that demand a more energetic performance.
Having asked several people how they came across the band, no one could recall specifically, just pointing to being fans for years.
The band name itself doesn’t give clues. The “las” isn’t like in “Lassie” but “ah la la” – but plural. It’s so obvious I missed it at first. Their name was apparently decided for a rush need and eventually put them on the defensive with those who objected for religious reasons. Michaud has referenced Allah being chosen as they wanted something holy sounding but has also described it related to Orientalism observed in California and another time as a juxtaposition with Shangri-La. Whichever, or whatever, they’ve kept with it. I’d imagine that most people find the band through the music rather than in the “A” music bin or streaming equivalent.
In any case, fans got just what they wanted. The band was in keen form, supplemented by keyboardist Frank Maston, who also opened the show solo. Visually, the stage was fairly dark, but backlight by slides that were manually changed on each of the screens between songs. Old school! Just the way the band sounds. The band continues touring through the end of April in the U.S. before heading to Europe in the fall.
The setlist, two videos and additional photos follow.
Setlist (Not followed exactly):
Encore:
