Full of catchy guitar melodies, complementary bass, and dynamic vocals, the Liverpool natives Audun Laading and Stephen Fitzpatrick, also known as Her’s, flew across the Pacific Ocean and performed in Los Angeles for their first time. Reminiscent of 80s music of the British invasion, the light and twinkling love songs of Her’s allowed their listeners to feel warm and gooey on the inside.
As the guitar and bass duo walked out, I was a little nervous when I saw their set up: bass, guitar, and a MacBook. From that ensemble, one would probably not expect the amount of musical body and charisma that poured out of these two people. Although music by Her’s often ranged in tempos from silky ballads to upbeat dance tunes, their energy did not waver. Constantly dancing on both sides of the stage as he played, the amount of cardio bass player Audun performed is nothing short of impressive. Focusing more on his guitar playing and various singing styles, Stephen was more stationary; however, that did not prevent him from interacting with his dear friend and bandmate when it felt right.
A really positive attribute to Her’s performance was their gratitude and audience interaction. Many bands have tendencies to ignore their fans and focus solely on music. Her’s broke this reoccurring habit; anytime an audience member yelled out a comment or song suggestion, Audun or Stephen would respond. Something as simple as, “What did you guys do today?” would receive a reply. Her’s after every song would thank the audience for coming and applaud in awe of how respectful and attentive the crowd was to their music. It was beautiful witnessing a mutual interaction of respect between fans and performers they enjoy.
When playing their most popular song “Cool with You” they encouraged the audience to dance with each other, with permission from both parties. This is a demonstration of the thoughtfulness and cares Her’s exudes both their music and personalities as individuals. With trying Jamba Juice for the first time, which they enjoyed, I hope they’ve left California with this performance as another fond memory. Fingers crossed they make a return in the near future.
-Trinity Hood
*Photo Courtesy of Her’s Management