Layne Lindroth writesConcert Review: Lewis Del Mar at Thalia Hall (5/6/17)

words and pics by Layne Lindroth

The self-proclaimed “electro-acoustic indie pop” duo Lewis Del Mar played its largest headline show to date Saturday night at Thalia Hall. Though not quite sold out, the packed venue never dropped below a loud volume as fans chanted and cheered from arrival to exit. Electric performances by Lewis Del Mar and opener Anna Wise warranted every clap and holler the audience threw their way.

Lewis Del Mar, made up of childhood friends Danny Miller (guitar/vocals) and Max Harwood (percussion/production), has been an official band for under two years and managed to rack up a combined 26 million Spotify streams of their five most popular songs alone. This “electro-acoustic” sound Lewis Del Mar calls its own can be broken down to acoustic guitar riffs and ever present percussion on most songs, but latin-influenced rhythms, syncopated bass lines, and onomatopoeic harmonies are what separate the tracks from one another. These sonic elements are perhaps best heard in “Puerto Cabezas, NI” or the cheerful hit “Painting (Masterpiece)”.

With only a self-titled debut album and a four-song EP to choose from, all twelve tracks Lewis Del Mar has to its name are fan favorites, and lucky for fans, the duo—accompanied by three additional instrumentalists—plays every one live. The performance was thunderous, colorful, and yet intimate; Miller often stopped between songs to share his appreciation for diversity, for learning, and for the friends and fans surrounding him, many of the latter greeting his words with applause and shouts of agreement. Content and clearly humbled by the mutual enthusiasm, Lewis Del Mar played on, eventually closing with “Loud(y)”, the viral hit that started their snowballing success a short year and a half ago.