This past Saturday, WKNC DJ’s made the trek to Cat’s Cradle to experience the breathtaking and moving music of Beach House. After waiting in traffic for an hour, possibly parking illegally, and missing all but thirty seconds of Washed Out’s set, we made it in and were ready to be swept away by the mesmerizing music of Baltimore’s Beach House.
After much anticipation, vocalist/organist Victoria Legrand and mulit-intrumentalist Alex Scally took the stage and reeled the audience in with “Walk in the Park.” The duo smoothly transitioned from song to song, playing many songs off their recent release, “Teen Dream,” but also keeping the crowd pleased with favorites like “Gila” off of their 2008 album Devotion. The sold out crowd swayed to “Silver Soul” and “Lover of Mine”, but the excitement really heightened when the first notes of “Zebra” kicked in. During the song, lead singer Victoria Legrand, fittingly dressed in black and white, wafted her hands emulating a “black and white horse.”
Adding to the ethereal atmosphere of the dreamy set was the fog emanating from the stage, pastel colored pom poms dangling from the ceiling, and what can only be described as giant, rotating diamonds covered in multi-colored foil which hypnotized the audience and added to the cavernous vibe of the music. As the show wound down, Legrand jokingly asked the audience if they were depressed, and without response, dramatically commenced “Used to Be”. In between songs, the group referred to their first time playing Chapel Hill, at the Nightlight, jokingly commenting they preferred playing for six people. Beach House ended their hour-long set with an incredible “Take Care”, followed by an encore and closing the show with the epic “10 Mile Stereo”.The show was, without a doubt, one of the best any of those in attendance will likely see this year.