VZ Magazine

Last night I fell in love with a girl and a bunch of boys named Neon. Neon Indian, that is. We have had an ongoing affair for quite some time now; however, they never really managed to leave the friend zone, that is, up until last night. Maybe it was the few shitty beers I had or the head rush of weed hanging in the air, but, man, I tell you what, I had butterflies.

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Once Alan Palomo opened his Steven-Tyler-like mouth, Neon Indian synthed, sang, drummed, and boogied their way to a fantastic set. I lost a beer to the trouncing vibrations of their music, and I was completely okay with it. You could tell that the whole crowd was just in its own psychedelic, color-splashed world, and they were all there sippin’ drinks and jamming out together. It was great to be a part of it all.

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Palomo also did a great job getting the crowd involved. I mean, he already had won me over with his floppy mop of hair and endearing little smirks, but his crowd conversations were witty and humble, which you can’t necessarily find in all lead singers. Then, they launched into “Deadbeat Summer” and I, for one, screamed like a pre-teen Bieber fan. “Deadbeat Summer” was my first Neon Indian experience and has remained one of my favorite tracks to date. It was great to hear one of their first songs mixed in with their newer tracks. Sometimes artists tend to be real flops when it comes to their live performances, which just breaks my heart. Luckily, Neon Indian did not fall into this category. They were able to reinvent their recorded tracks in such a way that gave the songs an intriguing new quality that was different, but did not stray too far from what fans were familiar with on their album.

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There is something about Neon Indian's beats that just sinks right into your chest, grabs you and refuses to let go.Walking back to my car, I still found myself bobbing to the beat playing in my head. I wanted to stay in this color-splashed, groovy world Neon Indian created. Now, I am still a novice when it comes to live shows, but, after last night, Neon Indian is undoubtedly leading the pack.

For those of you in the U.S., you’ll have to wait to see Neon Indian play live near you. Until then, enjoy Neon Indian’s performance of “Hex Girlfriend” on the new video series For No One TV.