By TJ Ford
Arts Editor
In a crowd of hundreds, it was as though you were the only one in the room.
The band Daughter’s performance at the Wiltern in Los Angeles was an intensely personal experience, which made a resounding emotional impact on the audience.
Daughter is a British band made up of three members, lead singer and bassist Elena Tonra, guitarist and bassist Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguilella. The performance at the Wiltern, which was preceded by a set from Bear’s Den, was their last night in California, closing the American leg of the tour.
On the relatively cozy and tapering stage of the Wiltern, Daughter wowed. With a crowd that wrapped around the block to enter the theatre, hundreds of people filled the venue. Yet, it still could not have felt like a more personal performance. The band’s intimate nature made it feel more private than the venue of two stories of seats among the mass of people would suggest.
The raw emotion of the concert was awe-inspiring. With heart-wrenching performances from all band members, even the opening act Bear’s Den, the band was brought to tears several times during its set from the palpable emotion its music conveyed.
The undeniable connection of the artists to the music and its authenticity allowed for an audience-centered performance with undeniable ties to the crowd. It was evident that the band was playing specifically for the listener in an effort to communicate the heartache behind the tracks.
Among the rawly performed song selection, the picks themselves were spot-on in terms of retaining the interpersonal feel of the performance. Popular hits like “Youth” and “Smother” were not the stars of the show, which was a refreshing break from the expected. The concert had an emphasis on the more deeply emotion-based tracks, such as “Love.”
Daughter did not execute each song perfectly, but that was part of the charm. Broken up and slightly dazed during the most clearly touching songs, lead singer Elena expressed the power of the music as she was so affected by the content of the set list that she was unable to continue singing. At points she was forced to leave the stage to collect herself, which warranted a beautifully vulnerable performance.
Her unguarded demeanor made the songs from the albums even more breathtaking and brought a new layer of depth to the concert. Even during the encore performance of the Daft Punk single, “Get Lucky,” the group managed to transform the pop hit into understated yet gorgeous tones.
Additionally, the quality of the music played live could compete with the sound quality of their recorded tracks. Songs like “Love” and “Shallows,” with their already-emphasized bass, were completely revolutionized in the live performance. This, coupled with looped vocals that accent Tonra’s already-light tone, resulted in an immersive quality rarely seen in live performances.
Overall, the performance amazed with its completely stripped feel, closely individual atmosphere and, ultimately, flawless tracks, proving the band’s not only existent studio ability, but unquestionable talent and passion for their music with the skills of live performances.
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