by Brittney Corridean
The TLA had a line of teens and tweens alike Monday night as Haerts, the Knocks and St. Lucia performed at the theater-like venue. The majority of the crowd was young and eccentric looking and a mass of people populated right by the stage pretty early on. Though it was a tight fit in that space, you still had some good leeway to move around at your leisure. You could easily spot the young, vibrant dancing girls holding hands as they swayed one another along; as well as the adoring couples who hugged each other tightly in the back.
This was especially fitting since the lyrics and rhythm of their music are particularly heart-felt (pun intended) and breezy.
Haerts came on promptly at 9pm and each band member was head to toe in all black. They all seemed to have a deep, concentrated look on their face but this actually made sense with their openly emotional flavored music. Lead singer, Nini Fabi, gave props to the other bands that would be performing that night and stated, “tonight is gonna be a good night”.
They opened with a couple of new songs off their latest self-tilted album (which was released just this past October). Their new single, “Giving Up”, transpired into some older songs such as “Call My Name”. One that hit close to home for everyone was their single “Wings” in which Fabi got right up and grabbed the tambourine to add some light percussion.
Later, The Knocks came on stage with their funky colorful style; out of all the bands, they didn’t seem to have the same kind of sound as the other two. Still, this group was a great fir for the night and they had the crowd going. St. Lucia came on next and brought the night back to it’s synthesized groovy sound.
Haerts sound is actually rooted with heavy synth and induced with an 80’s pop sounding tempo. Their lyrics are thoughtful and poetic which can leave the listener feeling a bit compassionate or inspired in the aftermath. Fabi’s voice has been compared to the gypsy queen, Stevie Nicks, and I actually can sense where that comparison came from when seeing her live. Definitely give them a listen if you like the 80’s/hipster/synth/indie movement. You will surely be moved.
