Kevin Bronson on July 12th, 2015

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Review and photos by Kelsey Heng

Nearly four years have passed since Active Child’s last genre-bending full-length, and while Pat Grossi bridged the gap with an EP in 2013, it wasn’t until his new album “Mercy” landed in June that fans got another full narrative from the tenor.

When he last played Los Angeles in November of 2013, he was at the El Rey Theatre backed by a string quartet and a choir. At the time, that night might have felt like Active Child found its stride, but then came Friday’s tour stop at the Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Church — a place as perfectly suited to the music as it was last year when Hozier played there.

This time, dressed in white and seated under Gothic architecture, framed by 80-foot vaulted ceilings, former church choir boy Grossi held forth in front of filled pews and religious antiquities. The night’s service began with “1999,” the first song release from “Mercy” and the start to the night’s cathartic ceremony. Lyrics spoke to personal growth, the search and desire for love and the fragility of the human experience. Grossi’s emotional and spiritual hypnotism had begun.

Quickly, the lights darkened, fog rolled onto stage and off into the first rows of pews, as Grossi sat silhouetted for the gripping song “You Are All I See.” Vulnerable and reverent, his falsetto vocals echoed through the corridors and against stained-glass windows.

From the stage, colorful lights illuminated the pillars of the high altar dancing with the changing vocals and synth swells. Clear yet unbridled, his band continued through “Johnny Belinda” and “High Priestess” to newer album songs “Lazarus” and “Mercy.”

Church bells gonged at the start of “Evening Ceremony,” which despite its obvious parallel, deepened the serenity and heartfelt fervor. Grossi revealed before proceeding into “Hanging On” that while it is a song they have played more than any, its authenticity still hasn’t diminished.

The night finished with “Too Late” and “Silhouette,” as the emotional roller-coaster rolled slowly to a stop. From pushing away love to welcoming it back home again, the ceremonial search for love finds tonight’s impermanent end.

Opening band Low Roar, from Iceland by way of California, flooded the cathedral walls with their own synth-driven atmospheric performance. Their heavy ethereal sophomore release “0” is out now.