L.S. Dunes have quickly made quite an impact on the alternative rock scene since their official debut in 2022. Formed by members of Saosin, My Chemical Romance, Thursday, and Coheed & Cambria, which have all made their own significant contributions to the post-hardcore and rock subgenres, it did not take long for the band to amass a dedicated fanbase. This January, they released their second full-length record Violet and have embarked on their “Like Magick” US headliner tour this April to support the new release. The band is mainly stopping at intimate venues this tour. On April 15 they performed at Underground Arts in Philadelphia, a small club-like venue where mostly upcoming artists perform; an unlikely spot for a band of L.S. Dunes’ caliber, but that made the show even more exciting for fans. The crowd also made sure to deliver all their energy to celebrate vocalist Anthony Green’s birthday, making it a night to remember for the band as well.
The first band of the night was Philly’s own Night Sins. Heavily inspired by 80s darkwave music, the sound of synths flourished throughout their set along with heavy bass lines and drumbeats, creating a dark atmosphere accompanied by moody lighting. To top it all off, vocalist Kyle Kimball delivered deep, low vocals characteristic of the post-punk surge of the 80s. The band’s most recent release is their 2024 EP, A Silver Blade in the Shadow, from which they performed a few songs. Being native to Philly and having performed at Underground Arts in the past, it was clear that many local fans gathered to support Night Sins as quite a few people were dancing throughout the whole set, and the performance certainly turned much of the crowd into new fans as well.
NIGHT SINS: Facebook | Instagram
The second and final opening act was From Indian Lakes, a California-based indie rock band. Taking elements from various genres such as shoegaze, emo, and alt-rock, From Indian Lakes’ genre-defying style made them a fitting opener for L.S. Dunes, a band that also tends to experiment with their sound. This tour comes less than a year after the release of their latest record, Head Void. In the middle of the set, vocalist and guitarist Joey Vannucchi thanked the Philly crowd for showing up, to which many people started to yell “Go birds!” in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles; at a concert in Philly, people randomly cheering for the Eagles in some shape or form is more common than one would think. Vannucchi was initially confused, wondering what “birds” the crowd was so excited about, but was quickly reminded about the Eagles and laughed about the random show of sportsmanship. As always, Philly brought their passion and energy to From Indian Lakes’ set, and it will only get more intense from here.
FROM INDIAN LAKES: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube
For the final time of the night, the lights began to dim and the fans roared with enthusiasm. Soon enough, L.S. Dunes took the stage and the sounds of the crowd continued to reverberate throughout the room. Before the band started playing the first track, vocalist Anthony Green went up to the barricade and high-fived as many fans as he could, a special moment of crowd interaction that he would occasionally continue to do for the rest of the show. The band started off with the first track from Violet and the tour’s namesake, “Like Magick”, a slow, rhythmic song that soon transitions to the much heavier “Fatal Deluxe”. As soon as the band collectively ramped up the energy for “Fatal Deluxe”, the fans immediately started going wild, with a mosh pit forming within the first few seconds of the song and people even starting to crowdsurf. Throughout the rest of the show, this energy never wavered for a second.
At their Underground Arts show, L.S. Dunes further solidified their stance as the most influential alt-rock supergroup of the scene, continuing to make a name for themselves separate from the bands that kicked off their formation. Vocalist Anthony Green’s versatile vocals ranged from powerful screams to melodic singing, easily going back and forth between vocal styles whenever the tracks called for it. Guitarists Frank Iero and Travis Stever delivered fierce riffs and intricate solos, and bassist Tim Payne and drummer Tucker Rule helped tie the whole performance together providing rhythmic basslines and dynamic drumbeats. Along with tracks from the new album, the band played a few older tracks from their debut 2022 album Past Lives as well, such as “Like Forever”, “Bombsquad”, and the title track “Past Lives”, thrilling fans who have been following the band since their inception. During the show, Anthony Green made sure to interact with the crowd like going up to the barricade to sing along with the fans or high-fiving crowdsurfers. With how intimate the size of Underground Arts is, crowd interaction was made easy and definitely would not have been achievable in the same way at a larger venue, which is another reason why this small show was easily made so special for the fans.
As the show went on, nonstop crowdsurfers were going through the room. In the middle of the set between songs, Anthony Green made sure to thank the lone security guard “Lou” for helping to catch every crowdsurfer, and the crowd started chanting Lou’s name in appreciation. Many fans also made sure to yell out “Happy birthday” to Anthony when they could, to which Anthony replied that this night was the “best birthday ever” and was immensely proud of the unfiltered energy Philly brought. The band went on to play a few of their heavier songs, like “Permanent Rebellion”, and then closed out with “2022”, still inspiring many crowdsurfers and moshing. The band briefly left the stage and the fans immediately started chanting for “one more song”. Not long after, L.S. Dunes returned to the stage as cheers filled the room. Anthony Green took one last moment to thank Philly for coming out to support live music, especially in a turbulent political time where art is more important than ever. Anthony reminded the audience “Fuck the state, music is magic. Make art”. The band then played the single from Violet “Paper Tigers” and the closing track from the album, “Forgiveness”, and the fans continued to bring their unbridled energy to the very end. L.S. Dunes and the constant enthusiasm from the Philly crowd made the show as exciting as it was, creating an amazing memory for both the fans and the band.
