Photos by Dylan Simmons
While on tour opening for beabadoobee, alt rock band Pretty Sick took a detour to play three solo shows in California while their headliner was off performing at Coachella. Pretty Sick was founded over a decade ago by frontwoman Sabrina Fuentes (vocals, bass) alongside her friends Eva Kaufman (drums) and Benjamin Arauz (guitar). Over the years, the band has maintained their distinct style of angsty lyricism and loud rock tracks paired with gory iconography. Still, Fuentes proved her range with their latest release, Streetwise — an EP leaning much more electronic with the influence of Swedish producer Woesum, who has collaborated with other rising acts like Yung Lean and Bladee. Fuentes’s discography to date evokes grunge, underground scenes of New York City as well as clubbing culture in London (where she attended university). The band’s sound has shifted and evolved as its members have matured from young teenagers to twenty-somethings, leaving me eager to witness how this growth manifests in their next studio album.
I made the trek from LA to OC to see the band perform a sold-out show at the Constellation Room, an alternative venue that I frequented in high school. Ironically, I happened to see Pretty Sick at this very venue in 2022 for her Makes Me Sick, Makes Me Smile album release tour during the band’s last headlining shows in California. I remember being struck by Fuentes’s electric stage presence and powerful vocals, so after an amazing show three years ago, I couldn’t wait to see her perform live again. I was also fortunate enough to catch the band for a brief pre-show interview about their break from touring and plans for the next record. After my conversation with Sabrina Fuentes in the intimate, grunge atmosphere of the Observatory’s green room, I made my way back to the Constellation Room to await the band’s arrival with the rest of the crowd, the packed venue buzzing with excitement.
Pretty Sick soon took the stage with Fuentes at the mic, radiating a coolness that would be intimidating if she weren’t so genuinely authentic. Her outfit, similarly, was equal parts cool and campy, down to her stiletto heels paired with knee-high socks. The band then launched into a comprehensive setlist, treating the audience to some old tracks, some new, and some unreleased.
The energy in the room was high as the audience danced, moshed, and sang the night away. While performing “Streetwise,” the titular track off the band’s 2024 EP, Fuentes announced that we were some of the first to hear the EP live, since they never toured for it. The band also treated us to an unreleased track titled “Mad Girl Love Song,” a pop punk, fast-paced ballad that got the whole crowd moving. They followed that with “Yeah You,” a song dedicated to a toxic romance rife with brooding self doubt. As the opening track on Pretty Sick’s debut album (Makes Me Sick, Makes Me Smile), the song features elements recurrent throughout the band’s discography: fast, loud instrumentation; the echoes of ‘90s grunge; angsty, vulnerable lyricism; and Fuentes’s raw vocals. Partway through the show, Fuentes revealed, to the crowd’s delight, that the Santa Ana concert was her favorite on the band’s last headlining tour, and prematurely declared tonight’s show to be her favorite once again.
Pretty Sick brings a distinct energy to their live performances that truly elevates their discography to a new level, and — demonstrated as they shouted the lyrics to “Human Condition” or obediently opened up mosh pits at Fuentes’s command — the crowd evidently matched the band’s energy all night. The band’s magnetic stage presence, combined with an all-encompassing “greatest hits” setlist procured just for these one-off shows, culminated in a uniquely intimate and memorable concert experience. Just as their 2022 show left me beyond impressed, Pretty Sick has once again wowed me, leaving me excited to continue to watch their upward trajectory as artists.
