On Wednesday, June 4th, Washed Out brought their chillwave, indie sounds to the National complemented by Australian group,
On Wednesday, June 4th, Washed Out brought their chillwave, indie sounds to the National complemented by Australian group, Wunder Wunder.
The combination of Washed Out’s mellow vibes with the upbeat, psychedelic mood of Wunder Wunder provided for a show pleasing to all in attendance.
The Richmond show began Washed Out’s summer long tour with Wunder Wunder. Their relaxed, dreamy performance accompanied by a passionate audience and peaceful venue set the bar high for the rest of their shows on their tour.
At about 8PM, Wunder Wunder started the show with a series of upbeat songs. Wunder Wunder is a fairly new Australian group and therefore, only had a few songs currently released. Days before the concert, their songs “Coastline” and “Sure Stuck” played on repeat on my Spotify due to my anticipation of seeing them live. Sure enough, they played both songs, as well as a slew of other songs I had never heard from them before.
Their energetic mood and cheery attitude instantly boosted the atmosphere at the show. Within moments of beginning their first song, Wunder Wunder had already entranced the crowd who were dancing and swaying along merrily with the music.
Wunder Wunder performed until about 9PM. As Wunder Wunder began to move off stage and Washed Out began to set up for their performance, anticipation for the headliner’s performance ran high in the crowd. Washed Out began their performance with all lights off with only their silhouettes visible on the stage. As they began to play their first song, several colored spotlights began to illuminate the stage.
I immediately realized that this would be a concert that I would never forget.
Songs from all three of their albums, “Paracosm,” “Within and Without” and “Life of Leisure,” were performed at the show, providing a variety in their selection. They played several of their most popular songs including “Feel It All Around,” “New Theory,” “Eyes Be Closed,” “It All Feels Right,” and “Amor Fati.”
Lead singer, Ernest Greene, pumped up and encouraged the crowd to sing-along to some of the better-known songs. Within seconds of this encouragement, the crowd obeyed and was singing along. Throughout the concert, the crowd serenely moved and swayed along with the music, captivated by the mellow, calming feeling of the songs.
As the show came to a close, no one wanted to leave. As the members of Washed Out left the stage, the energy in the crowd increased tenfold and the audience cheered for an encore. The cheering continued for several moments until I began to think that the band would not return to the stage. H
owever, just as my hope for an encore had almost vanished entirely, the band members slowly returned to the stage for one last performance. The audience began to clap along and dance again while they performed their last song.
When the show finally came to a close, no one really wanted to acknowledge its conclusion, and no one wanted it to end.
