Photos by Julia Steinhouse
Though their lyrics on “HOUSEBROKEN VAR.IV” may detest, Frog is fuckin’ around. So much so, that the indie-folk band out of Queens, New York, played a set on Saturday riddled with mistakes and start-overs, reminding the crowd of what it meant to authentically make and perform music.
As the trio Daniel Bateman, Thomas White, and Steve Bateman took the small stage of East Los Angeles’ The Echo theater on Saturday, they casually addressed the eager crowd before them, “Hellooo, LA.” They laughingly deepened their voices, cupping the microphones each member had before them, as if none had sung with one before. This uninhibited playfulness infused Frog’s set throughout the night, as they began a dynamic setlist covering songs from as old as their first release in 2013 under Brooklyn-based label, Monkfish Records, and as new as their January 2025 single releases.
Grounded in an indie twang sound similar to Alex G or Sun Kil Moon, Frog was founded in Queens in 2013 by lead guitarist and vocalist, Daniel Bateman, and Thomas White, who left the band briefly in 2019. During this period, Bateman released a solo album under Frog, Count Bateman, and White was later replaced on drums by Daniel’s brother, Steve, for Frog’s fifth album, Grog. As they tour the United States this spring, the Bateman brothers are once again joined by White, this time on bass, solidifying the band’s current form as a trio.
Unsurprisingly, the brotherly banter between the Batemans and White is infectious on stage, sending the crowd laughing and cheering with each playful jab and joke. The Echo’s attendees this evening covered the spectrum of East-LA concert goers, sporting flat brim hats, wide-framed glasses, key chains hanging from worn Dickies pants, and loafers. Many were young college-aged fans, though a large portion of the crowd also seemed to align with the band members’ acutely millennial flavor. Throughout the night, it became evident that despite the often more juvenile and humorous nature of their lyrics, Frog is just old enough to be discussing mortgages and Prince on stage as they tune their instruments between songs. At the same time, they are young enough to passionately and tenderly portray the trials of unrequited love and leaving one’s hometown through their swamp rock grit.
What made Frog at the Echo equally entertaining as surprising was the band’s authenticity as it met with the venue’s intimacy and the crowd’s engagement: throughout the night, one fan’s cry of “I LOVE YOU FROG!” pierced through moments of quiet. When Bateman’s microphone cut out as they played their 2019 hit, “You Know I’m Down,” the acoustic nature of the set and the proximity of the crowd to the Echo’s stage allowed everyone to hear Bateman’s voice continue to sing clearly, unamplified. The cohesive audience coupled with the clear affinity between the band members made it feel like everyone there was friends, perhaps hanging around a backyard on a summer afternoon, listening to a local band jam.
Bateman’s consistent boyish voice cracks and the collective confusion over the setlist order (and contents, presumably) contributed to the overall ease with which Frog disarmed their audience. As he stumbled over the lyrics of “Your Name in my Phone” and reprimanded his brother for briefly straying from the correct beat on the drums (“He’s gonna get shit for that later”), Bateman reminded us that despite the name, Frog was only human.
Amidst the indie almost-yodeling manner with which Bateman sang, Frog’s set was also studded with soft and pure falsetto harmonies shared by the brothers, occasionally joined by White for three part harmonies that set the group apart from other indie-folk and alt-rock bands. Not only this, but Daniel Bateman proved his expert classical piano training through random classical interludes sandwiched between the swinging unison of the bass and drums. Complex piano trills faded into drunken smashing of the keys– somehow this still sounded good– that gave way to “JUST USE YR HIPS VAR. IV,” off of Frog’s 2025 release. A distracted intro to the band members (“Steven Bateman, the king of all kings, by far, the cutest and nicest of us brothers”) alluded to a few too many beers consumed on stage, and had the crowd chuckling (“wow, he’s actually quite drunk”).
Before ending their 90-minute set on fan favorites, “So Twisted Fate” and “Judy Garland,” Bateman confused his bandmates with two distinct entirely-improvised songs, challenging them to match his unpredictable piano and lyrical genius and impressing the crowd with his rap-like flow. “Can’t wait to learn that one,” White joked into his microphone after Bateman had completed his improv stunt.
With a crowd as loose and dynamic as they were riveted, Frog enveloped the Echo in their raw, swampy, passionate embrace. From brotherly jesting to pain-soaked lyricism, the authenticity of the collaborating members rang through clearly, beyond the theater and into the unseasonably warm March night.
