Kelsey Heng on April 6th, 2014

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Words and photos by Kelsey Heng

Dan Croll, the young Brit from Liverpool who has wooed men and women alike with last year’s single “From Nowhere,” kicked off his national tour in Los Angeles on Friday night at the El Rey Theatre. Supporting the recent full-length album release “Sweet Disarray,” Croll and band returned to L.A. for all those not lucky enough to have seen him last October at the Troubadour.

Through a steady release of singles, Croll has been busy capturing hearts through his simple, relatable fusion of folk, pop and R&B influences. And yet Friday night’s performance showed more than a man concerned with crafting catchy pop tunes; it showed an unexpected promise of future experimentation. Starting off the show with the current unreleased “Hello My Baby,” a collaboration with South African choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo and promised Record Store Day vinyl single release, was an incredible opening testament to the variety Croll can bring to a stage.

With the album often diving headfirst into lyrical sentimentality, the band’s stage performance drew a crowd reaction to match. A few songs in, Croll paused the music to read off an audience member’s prom invite, and after seeing Alex and Justin happily teamed up for the school dance, proceeded to perform “Compliment Your Soul,” an adorable moment not lost on anyone.

Panama Wedding hailing from New York started off the show with a mirrored pop set leading up to their better known tune “All of the People.” The band is set to tour with Dan Croll for all national dates through May 3.