Michelle Shiers on October 29th, 2015

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Fans lined up early for Wednesday night’s sold-out Mini Mansions show at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Once doors opened, people shuffled into the waiting room where a DJ played a set for about an hour as some took advantage of a photo booth. And when the doors to the performance hall opened, many quickly rushed to claim their spots up front for the L.A. trio, who certainly knew how to create just the right amount of anticipation.

Mini Mansions finally took the stage 30 minutes later than expected, greeted by huge cheers. The more hyper fans in at the front kept peeking behind them trying to spot the supposed “special guests” in the wings. Mini Mansions opened with the suggestive “Double Visions” from their album “The Great Pretenders,” which was released this past March. Their 14-song set was an even mix featuring newer tracks “Death Is A Girl”, “Creeps” “Heart of Stone” and a couple from their 2010 self-titled debut.

The first surprise guests to take the stage were brothers Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks, who performed their own songs “Sherlock Holmes” and “Angst In My Pants.” Mini Mansions have proven worthy sonic brethren of the experimental maestros, mastering their own kind of ’60s-influenced psychedelia with rhythmic dreamscapes. Michael Shuman remained passionate behind the drums as the background projection decorated his face. Floral-suited bassist Zack Dawes moved around lifting his bass at the stage edge, sometimes blinded with light but mostly in darkness. Mini Mansions performed popular single “Any Emotions” featuring keyboard-virtuoso Tyler Parkford singing, “You could be lonely but I don’t understand any emotions.”

Following their older track “Majik Marker,” the most anticipated of guests took the stage. As he did back in January at the Troubadour, Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner waited at the side of the stage until his moment came to perform his nonchalant and devilish verse in “Vertigo,” during which the entire room erupted in a sea of raised cell phones and shrieks. Mini Mansions closed their buzzing psych-pop set with “Freakout” from “The Great Pretenders.”

Photos by Michelle Shiers