Photos by Jordyn Feenberg
A warm night out accompanied by live music is something few things can beat, and it’s only better when the music is from a band like Thee Sacred Souls. This past Thursday, Jordyn, our friend Sophia, and I had the pleasure of hitting The Greek, where we sat back to their tunes, and I acknowledged my luck in logging my second successful concert seeing them perform.
Our night began with a long trek down Sunset, which, with a little conversation, sped by before we arrived at Tu Madre, a restaurant Sophia raved about. Located on a cute strip in Los Feliz, I’m glad to report and highly recommend Tu Madre as a great dinner spot to go, especially because of its proximity to the Greek. (If you’re wondering, I got the vegan KBBQ bowl and it was bomb.)
Our timing felt very serendipitous as we walked in, sitting down just three minutes before orange lighting slowly began to glow from the stage, and the horns section (all three of which are UCLA Herb Alpert students) began to play. The entertaining frontman and lead singer, Josh Lane, entered as the crowd cheered, and the band dove into “Love It Comes Easy.”
What I appreciate about Thee Sacred Souls is the fluidity of their sets; it is hard to even notice time is passing. After playing one of my favorites, “Lucid Girl,” Lane detailed a story about sweeping at the wine shop he worked at while thinking about the tug of war of relationships, smoothly revealing his inspiration for their hit “Easier Said Than Done.”
While the band started as a trio, it has since expanded, and now dependably includes notable backup vocals from Vianē Escobar, who is featured on the beautiful track “Happy and Well.” The harmonies on this song between Lane and Escobar were absolute honey, especially live, accompanied by the talented four-piece string section sitting behind the band.
Post-serenade, Lane teased the front row, jumping down to sing “Will I See You Again?” before hopping back up for their new catchy release, “Any Old Fool,” and “My Heart Is Drowning.” Most of the night was filled with music, but when they did choose to pause, words were chosen with intentionality and purpose. Lane took a moment to mention how important it is to fight for what we believe in, stating how “it’s cathartic to sing how we feel,” before starting their next song, “Give Us Justice.” While this song was written a couple years ago, during the height of the BLM movement following George Floyd’s murder, it felt very applicable to the present moment and was appropriately met with cheers and support from the crowd.
Towards the end of the concert, Lane went back into the crowd, reminding me of the first time I saw them at The Fonda. This time, he had more real estate to cover, as he adventured through the Greek while singing the upbeat “Running Away,” saying hello to fans, even visiting ones in the far back. As the song ended, he made his way back to the stage, where he pulled out a digital camera to take a cute photo of the crowd.
Thee Sacred Souls concluded their set with “Waiting On The Right Time” and “Weak For Your Love” before thanking everyone and leaving the stage. Due to large cheers, they reentered for an encore, where Lane thanked everyone for “rocking with the records,” then sang the iconic “Can I Call You Rose?” and signed vinyls and CDs that the front row held up to him. This may have been my second time seeing this talented band, but I’m sure it won’t be my last, as I expect more music and great performances are on the way.
Listen to their new single here!
