It can’t be easy being one of the most hyped bands of this minute, but if The Thrills are under pressure of any sort, they certainly didn’t show it at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, California.
Throughout their 45-minute set, the five youngsters from Dublin, exhibited poise well beyond their years. In fact, you had to wonder if they were psyched at all to be playing in Los Angeles, and at such a historic venue, for the very first time. Singer Conor Deasy, employing his best Jagger-esque rock & roll dance moves, worked overtime to please the jaded LA crowd, while the rest of the band barely broke a sweat.
No matter, with such relentlessly high spirited music it was impossible for the West Hollywood crowd to hold back the love for long. After some urging from Deasy, the young hipsters found themselves engaged in some serious dancing and audience participation, by way of hand claps, as the evening progressed.
The band was tight from the first song and made good use of the Troubadour’s excellent sound system. Deasy’s voice moved comfortably between a fragile crack and a thunderous scream, and the soaring harmonies, so integral to The Thrills’ sound, were delivered beautifully by guitarist Daniel Ryan and bassist Padraic McMahon.
Highlights of the evening included a flawless version of ‘Don’t Steal Our Sun’, arguably the best song on their debut album, So Much For The City, and for the encore, ‘Just Travelling Through’, during which the band successfully created the lush wall of sound to which they aspire.