Every Saint Motel concert outdoes the one before. Monday night’s gig was no exception.  The band has played every Monday in September, with Spaceland packed to beyond capacity, often leaving disappointed fans waiting outside.  As has been the case with its earlier ones, Monday’s gig had a special theme: Experimental Night.

Trippy colors, glow sticks, and bubbles decorated the venue.  And of course, a Saint Motel show wouldn’t be complete without a video backdrop and the band’s trademark moose head. The band was outfitted in their trademark tuxedo shirts and black pants (with Jackson wearing a getup that could be a tunic worn by Jesus), but being Experimental Night, the band wore war paint on their faces.  Singer A.J. Jackson explained the paint was  “a little psychedelic” and fitting because “playing a show is like going into battle, with people you love.”

Vintage films flashed on a screen behind the band—spliced together by Saint Motel’s guitarist, A. Sharp—between live stream footage of the guys playing and the audience dancing.  The vintage clips were taken from avant-garde films that are favorites of the band.

The Spaceland residency coincides with the release of Saint Motel’s EP debut, ForPlay. In addition to the six songs, the band has included intricate concept videos for each song that are the perfect visual complement to the audio.

“They are a lot of fun to make,” said singer A.J. Jackson.  “We wanted to do something a little different, and once we did three (videos), we figured, why not do all of them?”

Saint Motel has seen its profile grow during the Spaceland residency and have enjoyed playing each week.  “It’s a routine for us,” said drummer Greg Ervin.  “Now playing Spaceland is our Monday night job.” Albeit temporary, the band has made the most of its office space.

Saint Motel played every song from ForPlay, including the first live performance of “Pity Party.”  In addition, the nearly hour long set featured some older tracks like “Stories,” “Everything Now,” and the song that many have heard on KROQ, “Dear Dictator.”

The band said that the finale of their Spaceland residency would be their best yet.  Judging from their performance on Monday, fans are in for a treat if this is indeed the case.

—Daniel Kohn