Staff Editor on June 24th, 2018

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“Y’all are gonna make me cry” were the first words from La Luz singer-guitarist Shana Cleveland after receiving a roaring welcome back to Los Angeles at the Teragram Ballroom on Friday night. The venue was packed to the rafters. The band (Cleveland, Alice Sandahl on keys, Lena Simon on bass and Marian Li Pino on drums) spent the last month and a half touring around the States in support of their surf noir-ish third album, “Floating Features,” released in May. For the homecoming show, they played a mix of songs off the new album as well as fan favorites from their previous albums “Weirdo Shrine” and “It’s Alive.”

Preceding La Luz, Summer Twins (sisters Chelsea & Justine Brown, joined by Anders LaSource on bass/keys and Andy Moran on guitar) shared their dreamy songs about spreading love, getting through heartbreak and making the move from Riverside to Los Angeles. Teasing two new singles this year, including “Dream Girl,” the band accompanied La Luz for the southwest leg of their tour and said they were thrilled to finally be back in L.A. (they also open for Peach Pit tonight at the Moroccan Lounge). Their relatively calm set ended with a wild duel between LaSource on harmonica and Chelsea shredding on the guitar. 

The show was opened by Boyle Heights rockers the Tracks, who released their latest single “Hanging On” late last year and will be playing the first installment of this year’s Chinatown Summer Nights.

Photos by Samuel C. Ware