Photo from an Orlando show a couple years back…
Lotus rolled into New York City this past weekend to deliver a couple of great sets at the massive Terminal 5. The venue was popping with energy, and the packed house got all sorts of weird while the band played a mix of old and new songs that showcase their wide range.
The quintet kicked things off with an oldie from their album Nomad. “Greet The Mind” is a fitting track to start the show, and it was followed by a seamless jam into “Philly Hit” before “Neon Tubes.” The funky trio of tracks paved the way for the more electro sounding “Molluskunk” before the ambient danciness of “Travel” came into play. That Nomad goodie segued back into the ending of “Greet The Mind,” which drove the crowd absolutely nuts. “Marisol,” a more post-rock-leaning number, came next and then “Age of Inexperience” ended a bangin’ first set.
Second set began with Lotus’ newest track, “Eats the Light.” Their stint as a Talking Heads tribute band obviously rubbed off on them a little bit, because that track is thriving off of 80s New York City vibes (in the best way possible). The band’s Byrne influence would come back into play later on, but not before “Kodiak,” “Spaghetti,” and “Nematode” blew everybody’s collective mind. Guitarist Mike Rempel’s work on “Nematode” is worth the price of admission alone.
An unsuspected Tame Impala cover made its way into the set in the form of “Elephant,” featuring a rare set of live vocals by Luke Miller. “In an Outline” saw another foray into post-rock territory before a near-11-minute “128” revved the dance party back up. The encore dived back into post-rock with “Behind Midwest Storefronts” which paved the way for a killer cover of the Talking Heads’ “Once In A Lifetime.” New York City loves their Talking Heads, and it was a nice way to bring it around full-circle style from the beginning of that second set.
Lotus, as always, impressed with their musicianship, but most of all they brought a heated performance to a Saturday night audience. Don’t miss the band when they come to a city near you.
Setlist [via]:I: Greet the Mind > Philly Hit > Neon Tubes, Molluskunk, Travel > Greet the Mind, Marisol, Age of InexperienceII: Eats the Light, Kodiak, Spaghetti > Nematode, Elephant, In an Outline, 128E: Behind Midwest Storefronts, Once in a Lifetime