Wild Belle - James Supercave -- Black Cat - May 1 2016

James Supercave - This is a fairly new LA band with one album (reviewed here a couple days ago) and a big tour well underway. They appear quite ready for the big stage at the Black Cat and delivered a fairly strong set. It was tough to gauge the crowd, as they were kind of quiet, but with the dance moves I saw in the back and the solid ovation at the end, they appeared to have gone over well. And with pop-rock music that exhibits plenty of dance beats, it should go over with youth. Thankfully, they have some strong rock moves that work with those of us old timers whose sciatica is an excuse for us to not show our lack of dance moves. When they announced they would slow it down, they launched into a fine rocker with a great pop hook and a powerhouse ending. In fact, from that point on, they slowly built the rest of the set to a fairly dramatic finish. Well paced, well played, and well received--good job, guys.

Wild Belle - This brother and sister act handles the vocals and adds some brass and guitar to the mix along with a fine band behind them. It seems quite straight forward and fairly faultless, although it does not always stand out terribly for me. But the female vocals have a nice resonance with the right amount of attractiveness and distance blended in. They also vary the rhythms well, which helps carry the set forward. I did not last the distance, but the sizable crowd was taking to this well, which was not at all a surprise.

Quiz Answer: In answer to my previous question of who the Suuns were channeling with their photo, the answer is the Stranglers with the cover to their LP, 'Black + White'