Paper Tiger’s side stage was absolutely packed out for Vancouver-based band Meltt this past November 10th. These guys have this really fun indie rock with a psychedelic blend that I always fall for. I first heard them through a Spotify playlist recommendation, the song “Within You, Within Me,” and I loved the soft guitar tones and dreamy indie sound.
When I saw they were coming into town, I knew I had to check them out live in person, and they were kind enough to provide me with guest access to cover the show.
The night opened with LA-based trio Junaco, whose mellow and warm sound was a great way to set the vibe. Their singer, Shahana Jeffer, had a lovely voice, and paired with Joey LaRosa and Tejas Leier Heyden, they sounded perfectly intimate together.
They were also very grateful to all those who came early to see them play.
The crew then started setting up the coolest setup I’ve ever seen at the side stage, by far. There were five of these tall lights, and they lit up the entire room with a wide spectrum of colors. They changed as the songs’ moods did; they matched the intensity of the rich guitars and drum beats.
Along with the smoke that filled the room, it was a perfect mood setter for their set.
You can tell the group’s got a huge love for Tame Impala.
Understandably so, I do too.
The band queued up all this Tame Impala music between sets, and the lighting display is like the most Tame Impala thing you could fit onto that stage.
The psychedelic parts of the music that they bring definitely fit too.
The band members are Chris Smith, Jamie Turner, James Porter, and Ian Winkler, and they all brought this excitement to the room, making it so lively and colorful.
Hearing “Within You, Within Me” live was really fun, with lots of people singing it along and the band having people clap along before the final chorus kicked in. “Love Again” became another one of my favorites, thanks to how much more spacious and entrancing it sounded live.
It was just an absolute vibe in this room, which, for a Monday night, was such a perfect way to start the week.
They finished things out with an encore that had the crowd in the front JUMPING. “Deeper Water” had just got this kind of infectious energy to it, where the guitarist even went into the crowd to hype them up, and the entire band was jamming.
The crowd was cheering wildly, with Meltt’s red and blue lights filling up the room one last time.
I’ve been so lucky to not only discover so many new bands for myself this year, but also have the opportunity to see them live in our city and absolutely kill it. Meltt’s another one of those bands that I can see getting bigger in the indie space, and I can’t wait to see how much further they take their sound in the years to come.
