Atlas Genius performs new album at HOB

by Abby Gentry | Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

On Wednesday night, Australian indie pop band Atlas Genius brought their first United States headlining tour to the House of Blues in downtown San Diego.  The evening could best be described as energetic.  During the entire concert, each band member danced, bounced around, and appeared to be having a genuinely good time with each other.

The show opened with the single from their album “When It Was Now” titled “Symptoms,” which set the tone for their electric and upbeat vibe.  For the the entirety of the show the crowd never stopped dancing and moving around to the magnetic sound.

One of the most memorable performances of the night was their hit, “If So.”  Almost everyone in the crowd was singing along to the catchy lyrics.

During this number, the band really began to connect with the audience.  Afterwards, lead singer Keith Jeffery expressed to the crowd how much he loved his time in San Diego and how much he enjoyed the concert venue.

During this time, he also announced that from this concert, Yahoo Livestream would be streaming this show for people to see all around the world.

Throughout the remainder of the night, Jeffery continued to connect with the crowd both through his music and conversation.  For The Atlas Genius fans in attendance, they were treated to two new songs that are featured on the band’s new album.

The stage backdrop was simple, allowing the focus of the concert to be centered around the music.  Colorful and intense strobe lights bounced around the venue, adding to the bright and energetic feel of the concert.

Another highlight of the evening was the band’s cover of “You Spin Me Right Round” originally by the band “Dead or Alive.”

They transformed this 80s classic by adding their own flare and also slowed it down from the original tempo.  Their choice to cover this song emphasized and proved that they are bringing back a similar style of rock music from the 80s while adding their own modern twist.

The concert remained mostly upbeat, only slowing down for one or two songs.  During these slower ballads, the audience could better hear Jeffery’s vocals and how unique his voice truly is.

The slower pieces briefly added a nice change in tempo, which later picked right back up.

As the concert came to a close, the audience was waiting anxiously to hear the band’s most famous jams “Molecules” and “Trojans.”  Sure enough, they saved these two tunes until the very end, and their performance was definitely the highlight of the night.

The familiar sound of the opening guitar riff immediately pulled loud cheers out of the audience and everyone began to sing along.

Although these two hits were probably the most highly anticipated, the encore was two newer songs that left the audience wanting more.

The encore closed with the ballad “Levitate” and finally ending with “Electric.”  The tune “Electric” was a great way to end the show because it perfectly captured the overall feeling of the energetic, funky, and electric show.