need space
[photos by Jeslyn Wang]
On August 15th, Del Water Gap and The Japanese House co-headlined at the Greek, playing a fitting tribute to the end of summer. In my opinion, there are few other pairs that make more sense to co-headline (which I hadn’t realized was a thing until now). Both artists are difficult to categorize, each with their fair share of upbeat pop-y tracks, slower indie tunes and even some loose reaches for electronic or rock jams. The androgynous lead vocalists, otherwise known as S. Holden Jaffe from Del Water Gap and Amber Bain of The Japanese House, both play in the alternative spheres of experimental lyrics and sound.
Google maps classically underestimated our eta, meaning we missed the opener Skull Crusher. Despite that, at our 7:30 pm arrival, we were welcomed to an already buzzing theater. We entered to groups of young people chattering as they skipped up to the gates. Once inside, people milled about, sipping tall-boy Modelos in jeans and silk camisoles, cowboy boots, and shaggy haircuts. In keeping with the aesthetic, I found every color of the rainbow in pairs of Converse all-star kicks. Upon entering, we were greeted by a “Register to Vote” table, advertised with a banner displayed in core, summer 2024 “brat green.” Lines for food and drink were less than five people deep, reflecting a lack of urgency. The masses seemed calm, uncharacteristic for what I’d come to expect of a crowd prior to the start of a concert.
The stage lights dimmed, as the front row jumped up and down while Del Water Gap and his three-piece band took the stage to “Coping on Unemployment,” a fan-favorite from his newly released second album I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet. People took their time getting to their seats – chatting, laughing and cheering as they found their way. His signature dark navy coat was paired over classic washed jeans with heeled black boots. With the low blue studio lighting scheme, his curls and jivey-style dance moves were almost reminiscent of Prince’s Purple Rain aesthetic.
Following an energetic opening, Jaffe then played tribute to a friend in the audience with “High Tops,” a friend whom he said he had once watched play the Greek, doubting he himself would ever have the opportunity to do the same. Yet here he was, playing the Greek just a few years later!
I was struck by how he spoke of his experience while currently on tour with Niall Horan – about how most nights on the road all blend into one, and how he worries that he might not remember it all. He shared that this night, however, was something he was certain he’d remember.
It felt like an homage to dreams coming true, yet things also ending. Emblematic of this time of year – how the bittersweetness of August ushers in the conclusion of summer while also carrying months of joy to look back upon.
In perfect Del Water Gap fashion, the set was nostalgic, and yet as exhilarating as the lyrics to “Perfume:” “I’m picturing you, right now/ Nothing on, nothing on but your perfume” – evocative of the kind of fling that only takes place during summer months. He then took the opportunity to play “Purple Teeth, The Bravery” live for the first time, from the recently released deluxe version of I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet.
Vibrant reds took over the stage lights as he closed out his set with his claim to fame, and number one streamed spotify song, “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Head.” As the song faded out, he took the opportunity to thank the Ally coalition, an organization dedicated to fighting for LGBTQ+ youth, the ones who had set up the register to vote table outside, urging people to get out and vote.
His set felt like a perfect reflection of the visceral feelings of youth – the moments of wanting to be present, grappling with love and self, beginnings and endings. As he belts in Dollhouse, another number from the Deluxe add-ons:
“It’s hard enough to be human/And worse when you’re on your own.”
It felt like I was attending a backyard session at an old friend’s house, and as the sunset faded into the evening, the air was still simmering in the lingering warmth of Hollywood’s sun.
During the changeover, I took the opportunity to observe passerby, picking up on a collective quality I couldn’t put my finger on. Aside from the fact that everyone was fitted up without trying too hard, brimming with joy, I was turning in circles trying to determine what kind of people were present. I received so many smiles from strangers that I started to think there was something wrong with my face, and then someone stopped to tell me they liked my hair cut. I realized the magic of this crowd, curated by these artists. There was no other purpose than to dance to the music, no specific kind of person, but a collective permission for everyone to just let their hair down.
Need space
Amber Bain, better known by her artist moniker The Japanese House, only solidified this hunch, echoing the same themes that Del Water Gap came out strong with. As decorative orbs glowed with cool tones in the background, the band stepped out to “Touching Yourself,” the catchy second track off their 2023 album In the End It Always Does. Instantly, the groove was on. They were noticeably just having a great time. Amber couldn’t make eye contact with pianist Cicely Cotton, joking about how they couldn’t stop laughing at each other. She later announced that it was Cicely’s birthday, and how she chose to spend that night playing for us at the Greek.
Continuing with the theme, their set drew from their expansive discography, encompassing anything from break-up ballads and heart-wrenching love songs to grieving alternate lives. As the set shifted into “Boyhood” and the lights flashed the colors of pride, Amber welcomed us into the process of wrestling with self actualization (for which Cicely brought out the saxophone).
Amber spoke of how she was proud to have created the kind of audience to receive the music that was true for their band, one that reflected who she was. In a sense, also the actualization of a dream. She spoke of how in the earlier days, she was afraid that people would instantly know she was gay, after realizing she had used the female pronoun, “she,” in her songs. However, there came a point when she realized noone had ever seemed to care. Eventually, this choice became a way of unabashedly asserting her identity in her music.
Midway through the set Amber was joined onstage by Katie Gavin, otherwise known by her alias “MUNA,” to take us through “Morning Pages” a ballad articulating the excruciating experience of revisiting memories of a past (female) lover.
Despite the recurring messages of old relationships, Amber made sure to weave her current love story in her commentary throughout the set. She shared how on a whim, she shamelessly sent a song demo to a stranger she’d met on the internet, instantly regretting it, and yet somehow that stranger has become her fiancée. As she said, thank god she found someone who…
“matched [my] freak”
— Amber on finding partner, Alyssa
Of course, as Amber said explicitly, the set wouldn’t be complete without a sad section because…
“Did you really think you could come to a Japanese House concert and not have a sad section?”
— Amber Bain
No Amber, no we did not.
Emotions flowed up and down, reverberating with the sounds of the synth.
Need space
After “Dionne,” they left the stage for a water break, only to announce a certain return for their encore. Let’s be real – what artists these days aren’t coming back onstage for an encore? This casual reassurance made sense with the tone of the night.
As they closed out their encore with Sunshine Baby – “I wanna be a part of it I wanna sing along /The feeling when the windscreen wipers line up with the song”– I couldn’t help but want to get up, swing hands with my friends and sing loudly with everyone next to me.
This entire concert illustrated the ability of artists to create environments that welcome others in, where they set the tone of who gets to belong, and how to foster connection and community. Both sets were an anthem for queerness, celebrating self acceptance and love in all its forms. Yet despite not identifying as queer, it was a space I could belong to as well. It was a space for anyone who showed up with the intent of experiencing good music and coexistence. As the magic of summer comes to a close, there’s a sense of fear that the lightness might dissipate along with it. Despite our drift into darker days and longer nights, there was a shared sentiment that the lightness will find its way through, as we all do.
need space
The music I heard this evening was everything that good music should be at its core – an ode to the fragility of all seasons – the unknown feelings, experiences, our relationships with others and the self, the literal color of the trees as fall approaches and the assuredness of change.
As “Sunshine Baby” continued “Perform my stupid rituals, everything feels cyclical. Hold on to this feeling ‘cause you won’t feel it for long. You won’t feel it for long,”
The Japanese House brought it all home.
There is nothing dependable about the human condition except for the certainty that our existence is always in flux. There can only be steadiness in the inevitability of change. But for one night, The Japanese House and Del Water Gap allowed everyone in attendance to hold onto that feeling – the warmth of the sun’s embrace, the slowness of days, the easiness of love, and summer’s last breaths, without paying attention to worries of what lies ahead.
