GROUPLOVE
Grouplove, The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA. 3/8/24
On March 8th, GROUPLOVE continued their Rock and Roll You Won’t Save Me Tour in Los at the historic Wiltern in Los Angeles. The show opened up with special guest Bully, the solo project of Alicia Bognanno, who came onstage with just her guitar and a mic. She played without any backup or production, just her raw voice commanding the room. Shortly after a beautiful cover of “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star, she switched to the piano and finished out her set to everyone’s applause. The audience may not have been very familiar with her music, but her voice was enough to gain their admiration. After a crowd sing-along to “Come Together” by The Beatles, GROUPLOVE came out with their song “Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten” from their 2011 debut album “Never Trust a Happy Song”. The theater came alive with the upbeat, dancy music and flashing lights. Often described as alt-rock, the band doesn’t quite fit into that box, utilizing many different musical elements in their often cheerful sounding music, even if the lyrics aren’t always so happy. GROUPLOVE currently consists of Christian Zucconi (vocals, rhythm guitar), Hannah Hooper (vocals, keyboards), Andrew Wessen (lead guitar, backing vocals), Daniel Gleason (bass), and Benjamin Homola (drums). The entire show, Hooper was dancing, flipping her hair, and engaging with the crowd, never phoning it in, truly an amazing performer to watch. Halfway through their set, they slowed it down with songs such as “Cruel and Beautiful World”, “Gold Coast”, and “Hello” before breaking into their smash hit “Tongue Tied”, everyone in the room screaming the lyrics back to them. Keeping the electric energy going, they broke out a cover of “Song 2” by Blur, one of the most fun moments of the night. When it was time for their encore, they played four songs, the crowd going crazier than ever when it was time for “Raspberry” and “Colours” to finish off the night. Zucconi even threw his guitar high in the air and caught it towards the end. The whole theater was raving about the show and taking tons of pictures afterward, a night they will not forget.
Get tickets for the rest of their tour here.
Shot and Written by Natalie Ryan.
