Last Night: Camera Obscura and Best Coast at Great American Music Hall

Camera Obscura

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Camera Obscura, Best Coast
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Great American Music Hall

Better than: sipping Hawaiian punch on your back porch.

Camera Obscura and Best Coast go together like girly cocktails and little pink drink umbrellas. Last night, the audience at Great American Music Hall collectively swayed to the luscious and gentle sounds of these acts, two of the easiest going bands on tour right now.

Best Coast, the LA-based indie pop band, is currently four piece act. Led by Bethany Cosentino, the group played breezy, simplistic melodies buried under wah-wah pedals and distortion. The sweet, sugary voice of Cosentino was the cherry on top of their California dream sundae.

Headliner Camera Obscura has perfected the formula for its shows. Formed in 1996 in Glasgow, the band has toured internationally several times over, and the group shined in its performance at Great American. Camera Obscura jumped into its first number in an infectiously ecstatic state that carried over into the crowd. Even the percussionist seemed to bliss out while shaking an egg for an entire song. The whole band looked so content that they created a wave of good vibes that spilled out of their amps, off of the stage, and into the room.

The lead singer, Tracyanne Campbell, gently rocked her Epiphone guitar back and forth like a cherished child. Halfway through the set, she introduced her song "Forests & Sands" and the crowd cheered and broke into song along with her. She kept her stage banter in between numbers to a minimum, though, only pausing to say endearments like "It's so good to be back at the Great American Music Hall." Her overall stage presence was like the demeanor of a sweet little girl; polite and semi-articulate.