LSD and the Search for God is a band that’s remained in my periphery since I discovered the song “Starting Over” during my senior year of high school. After seeing that their August + September tour was taking them through CT, I revisited some of their music and realized I never gave them the attention I should’ve these past few years.
Despite having only 2 EP releases in their discography, the band has gained a massive cult following since putting out their self-titled EP in 2007. Something about their brand of fuzzed out, ethereal melodies seems to resonate with people.
If I’m being totally honest, while I do love the self-titled LSD EP, I was most excited for the opener, Her New Knife.
I caught the Philly-based band back in March when I went to SXSW at the “Hoedown Throwdown” showcase (which is exactly what it sounds like: music and wrestling).
Her New Knife differentiates themselves from the fray of shoegaze revival bands by adding an almost industrial twist and playing with the contrast between hard and soft sounds.
After pregaming with tacos and my CD of Meat Beat Manifesto’s “Actual Sounds + Voices,” my friend and fellow WHUS employee Marli and I headed off to Space Ballroom.
We arrived about 20 minutes early and I was really surprised at the size of the crowd already forming. By the time Her New Knife took the stage, I found it hard to maneuver for a good shot.
Their set was controlled chaos. Despite the ripping sounds, they all managed to stay looking cool the whole time.
After Her New Knife, the crowd only continued to thicken. A kindly off-duty photographer overheard my lamentations about getting around the crowd and offered some advice. “People respect the camera.”
At the beginning of LSD’s set, I took a few pretty terrible photographs and almost accepted that this photo gallery would be a bust. After a few songs worth of working within my limited space, I took the photographer’s advice and finally got up the courage to venture for a better angle.
I found myself at the other end of the stage and right by LSD’s touring singer, E. Scarlett Levinson, who looked mysterious and ethereal and perfectly embodied LSD’s music.
LSD’s set was like being wrapped in a blanket of sound. I left my mortal being.
Once the show was over, I funneled out with the herd into the merch area, where I bought a Her New Knife tour poster and headed on my way.