PASSION PIT BRING NOSTALGIC POP JOY TO 2 SOLD-OUT NIGHTS AT BELLWETHER
All millennials, whether they had a short stint with indie sleaze or maintain a long-standing identity as hardcore indie fans, remember Passion Pit. Lead singer and keyboardist Michael Angelakos has fronted the band for nearly two decades and decided that two sold-out nights at the Bellwether in Los Angeles were the best way to celebrate that fact. With a lively opener and a big focus on the classic synthesized sound we all know and love, Passion Pit ran through a discography packed with new and old dance hits full of nostalgic pop fervor.
Before Angelakos took the stage with his long-running touring band of more than a decade, LA-based up-and-comer Arden Jones got the crowd dancing and singing along to his unique synth-meets-hip-hop-pop sound. With only a microphone and soundboard, he managed to make the Bellwether feel like an arena. His influences were obvious – LCD Soundsystem, MGMT, Passion Pit, and Animal Collective, to name a few – but the combination of his intimate, confessional lyrics and bedroom-level production made for sweet and heartfelt tracks. Lines like “I wrote a song about you last night / and I can’t lie, it’s still in my head” offered intimacy alongside synth-heavy beats and the occasional West Coast-style approach to rap and pop-y hip-hop.
While Jones did sing and rap over a recorded track – a move generally not done in indie spaces but accepted in rap circles – his mid-set cover of Phoenix’ “1901” hit the crowd like a shockwave. He closed his set with this year’s semi-viral track “Someone New,” a lively and infectious singalong that’s grown legs courtesy of TikTok. Jones's enthusiasm for performing and willingness to do anything to get a crowd dancing proved he’ll have a bright future ahead of him.
After Jones’ set, Passion Pit set the tone by opening with the classic track, “The Reeling” – the lead single on their debut record, Manners. While Passion Pit is known for its lively, dance-driven live performances, Angelakos approached this set with a more music-forward focus. Partially hidden behind a tower of synthesizers and soundboards, Angelakos sang and swayed from a stool while wearing headphones. Colorful lights swirled over the stage, which was jam-packed with no less than a dozen synthesizers, soundboards, and half a dozen guitars, also partially obscuring the rest of the band.
The audience barely seemed to mind, leading the charge in creating their own dance pits across the Bellwether floor. After including deep cuts like “Once Upon Your Balcony” and brand new tracks like the dreamy “Everything’s Stephanie,” Passion Pit tore through back-to-back-back hits with “Carried Away,” “Little Secrets,” and “Sleepyhead.” The millennial nostalgia and joy at hearing these songs live felt like being transported to 2012 in the best way possible. Angelakos still sang with his trademark tongue sticking out and smiled frequently throughout the set, even if he didn’t dance as much as he used to. Regardless, Passion Pit put on a solid set that only reminded the audience of how much joy music can still bring.
