“It’s too close to Christmas, we didn’t think anyone would come,” Taylor Rice admitted to the packed Echo.  Despite the holidays, Local Natives sold out their show during the presale, leaving thirty-something people standing out in the cold just hoping for a chance to get in.  Their reputation has spread through the community like wildfire.  Even after their exhausting and extensive touring since their residency at Spaceland in August, Local Natives still managed to offer a one-of-a-kind performance.

Chief and Voxhaul Broadcast kindly opened the show to a good-sized appreciative crowd.  Voxhaul Broadcast’s 8-song set created a perfect foundation for Local Natives.  Their underlying bass and drum lines beat their way into your body, giving it something similar to a caffeine kick.  Voxhaul Broadcast tied in some of their new songs, which show some maturity in the band’s writing and performing style, showing more development and intricacy.

Making it out to the Echo for this special performance was quite lucky considering this is Local Natives’ only show in Los Angeles until at least March 2010, after South By Southwest.  Yes, that means the U.S. release of their album in February will be absent of the boys themselves.   As usual, their performance was unique and energetic but did not sum up to their personal and intimate residency in August, which could simply be due to the band’s tendency to be more professional and acute at this point.  The stage was set up as expected, with Matt Frazier tapping on drums, Andy Hamm on bass, Kelcey Ayer on keyboards and rhythm drums and the occasional switch of instruments between Taylor Rice and Ryan Hahn depending on which specific talent a song required.  Local Natives began letting loose by their third song, the remarkable cover of “Warning Sign.”  These five boys have never been so sharp, very tightly knit and nearly flawless.  Each member has total command over his instrument—from the tambourine and cymbals to their guitars, drums and most importantly, their harmonious voices.

“Touring has made us tighter,” Kelcey explained; their past week consisted of four shows and four radio appearances, totaling eight gigs in seven days.  Their sixth and seventh songs, “Wide Eyes” and “Shape Shifter,” new additions that will be on their album, turned out to be quite the showstoppers.  They perfectly exemplify exactly what sets Local Natives apart from the rest: magical rhythms, cadence and breathtaking harmonies.  The songs also demonstrate their individual talent as well as their talent as a whole—they were born to be musicians.  The set dipped back into the familiar “Airplanes,” which had great crowd involvement and of course included their ‘Christmas’ song, “Stranger Things.”  For “Who Knows Who Cares,” they invited the talent of Stewart Cole (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) to play trumpet and create a live experience more homogeneous with their recordings.  Naturally the show closer was “Sun Hands,” Local Natives’ uplifting and rejuvenating single. As usual, more new and old band friends from past tours were invited to join the guys on stage including Johnny from The Union Line, Voxhaul Broadcast members and others, totaling to over 10 people on the wide Echo stage.  Their finale resembled the Local Natives performance that fans are used to, complete with the last wind of energy, yelling, stomping, drum smashing and an overall exciting time for the people on and off stage.

—Britt Witt