La Luz live is a ray of psychedelic sunshine

At a sold-out Friday night show at Bar le Ritz, a giant golden cardboard cutout sun with googly eyes and a toothy grin took centre stage. From behind it, the four members of La Luz emerged, decked out in vibrant patterned button-downs that complemented the swirling flower projections behind them. With jangling guitar leads, ripping basslines, chilling synths, and an upbeat snare groove, La Luz transported the crowd, with their sonic waves, to a nostalgic and hypnotic dimension.

Hailing from not-so-sunny Seattle, La Luz combines the brightness of surf rock with the moodiness of ‘60s psychedelia to make a dreamy, trancey soundtrack that would fit right into a 1960s B-movie. The effortless melodies and warm fuzzy tones of the bass and guitar are nicely paired with the cooler synth leads and airy vocal stylings of lead singer and guitarist Shana Cleveland. The tracks from their latest album News of the Universe lean toward a moodier and introspective side, with a standout performance of “Poppies” as one of my favorites of the night. 

The visual elements of the show heightened that kitschy B-movie vibe I had often pictured while listening to their music. Group choreography, such as synchronized head turns and nods, and showy props like the sunshine cutout added to the goofy and relaxed ambiance. Just listen to a song like “Floating Features” and you’ll picture yourself driving along a West Coast highway in a swanky outfit after a bank robbery … or maybe you’ve just been abducted by a flying saucer and you’re in the middle of kicking some alien ass. On Friday night, the crowd got to live this fantasy as La Luz hoisted two giant inflatable neon-green aliens across the crowd, crowd-surfing the night away.

It was definitely a more relaxed vibe for Le Ritz but still packed and brimming with energy – the ideal music for smoking a joint outside and sipping exactly one tasty, overpriced beer inside. The laidback pace of most tracks encouraged a healthy amount of grooving, shimmying, and head-bobbing. And as the cherry on top of this chill ice cream sundae, the show wrapped up before 9:30 p.m. Both concertgoers and Shana herself on the mic remarked with glee about how sweet this was—an easygoing end to a dreamy and delightful night.

Photos by Amir Bakarov