I’ve always told friends that in order to fully appreciate Los Angeles four-piece Warpaint, you must see them live.
NPR has thankfully done us a huge service and shared an entire Warpaint show from the 9:30 Club in Washington DC from October 4. The show came from midway through their North American tour that saw them make stops in southern California at Music Tastes Good Festival in Long Beach and the Fonda Theatre, two shows we were extremely lucky to take in.
The band is touring behind their critically-acclaimed third full-length record Heads Up. It’s the band’s most pop-driven record to date, with songs like single “New Song” cranking up the BPMs. Their ethereal and whimsical sound has been a favorite of mine for years. When they are on stage, they take these amazing songs and transform them into jammier versions.
After Music Tastes Good, I had an opportunity to talk with Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman after the show as a fan and express my appreciation for their music, mentioning how it feels like their songs are almost like their children and they mature with age the more and more they get played. It will be interesting to see how songs from the new record take shape as they play them over and over. This show from the 9:30 Club features tons of their older material and gives a glimpse into how their songs become revamped over time.
Warpaint will be in SoCal later this month with dates at The Observatory on November 21, as well as a slot opening for Band of Horses at the Fox Theater Pomona.
Photo courtesy of Tim Aarons
WATCH WARPAINT PERFORM AT THE 9:30 CLUB IN WASHINGTON DC BELOW:
Setlist:
0:00 Bees
5:30 Heads Up
9:25 The Stall
14:20 Undertow
20:25 Hi
26:02 No Way Out
33:12 CC
37:19 Whiteout
42:12 Beetles
51:19 Elephants
56:40 Love Is To Die
1:02:06 New Song
1:06:37 Disco / Very
1:11:47 Biggy
1:17:40 So Good
1:25:35 Keep It Healthy
1:30:00 Krimson
