Staff Editor on February 4th, 2020

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Coming off the release of their latest record “In the Morse Code of Brake Lights” last fall, the indie-rock collective known as the New Pornographers satiated a crowd of eager die-hards with a lengthy set on Monday night at the Fonda Theatre. With only a few shows under their belt on this current tour, the New Pornos eased right into their new material, blending it into a setlist of older tunes, all while frontman Carl Newman bantered with the crowd on and off between songs, making the relaxed show a warm and welcome environment on a chilly Monday in LA.

With the band’s four vocalists — Newman, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder and Simi Sernaker — in fine form, a half dozen songs from the new album (their ninth) found their way into the set, which ended after an hour and a half with the Newman-penned “Letter From an Occupant” from 2000.

Bursting on stage with an energy that got the Monday crowd moving, Shaun Fleming, better known by the stage name Diane Coffee, got things started with a bang. Featuring a couple of shiny costume changes from the front man, a keytar solo, and an almost David Lee Roth approach to his bombastic performance, Fleming and his band were a stellar intro to the evening.

Setlist: Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile, Sing Me Spanish Techno, You’ll Need a Backseat Driver, Dancehall Domine, Sweet Talk Sweet Talk, The Bones of an Idol, Whiteout Conditions, Colossus of Rhodes, You Won’t Need Those Where You’re Going, The Laws Have Changed, The Surprise Knock, Higher Beams, Avalanche Alley, Testament to Youth in Verse, Dreamlike and on the Rush, All the Old Showstoppers, Adventures in Solitude, Champions of Red Wine, Play Money, The Bleeding Heart Show, Mass Romantic. Encore: Challengers, Moves, Brill Bruisers, Letter From an Occupant.

Photos and recap by Samuel C. Ware