Ivy: Concert Review and Photos

Lush Hollywood venue Bardot was all about drawing out  a crowd of young beautiful people and modern sounds this past Monday evening. Themed “School Night”, the rebel factor was at the Ultra notch. And with strong enough drinks, high enough spirits, and the music a sufficient enough  fusion of the two, it was a welcome place to see some acts, the up-and-coming and established alike.

New York-based band Ivy were the headliners of the evening, a one-night-only event, at least at that present moment. Preceded by local acts Duniven (featuring vocalist Gavin Turek) and Races, the room was adequately warmed up and ready for bass-thumping and perhaps some a slight electro-ambient undertone. All the better to stay up past one’s bed time.

Once taking the stage, the energy in the room was punctuated by eager eyes and a surge of cameras. Fans of the indie pop-rock band audibly considered the evening in part to be a big deal, considering the last time Ivy was working their charms on  LA was six years ago. Of course, this was in conjunction with their then-latest album release, In the Clear. With their most recent album, All Hours, set for release the following day The small stage was rounded out to its edges by the trio -Dominique Durand on vocals, mild, commanding, yet personable in all black; bassist Adam Schlessinger; guitarist and songwriter Andy Chase. For the night, however, three became five on keyboard and drums, strictly for upping-the-ante purposes, one can only assume.

To the audience’s delight, featured was a fair mix of not-so-new material from their earlier albums to their newest of new material from their latest album, All Hours, which was released this past Tuesday. They all seemed genuinely excited to be performing new tracks, some of them they had only played for live reception a few times. Understanding the phenomenon referred to as ‘relatively first-time jitters’, they carried it off without a hitch, the more acoustic and raw elements of earlier works blending into more electro- inspired tracks on their newer albums – all of which sat well with most all in attendance, the occasional “I love you” to the heart and bright flash of a camera through the tender parts of one’s brain, all in the name of adoration. (And we must say, intimate venues are some of the best to find oneself in. On that same token, we applaud Durand for not losing her eyesight upon eager front-rowers inconsiderate of their flashing brights. Mid-note, she continued along like a pro. Which, naturally, she is.)

Their repertoire filled the spacious but cozy venue  quarters. “Thinking About You”, from their album before last entitled In the Clear - was followed by one of their more prominent singles entitled “Edge of the Ocean”, which played in a number of films and television shows, including but not limited to Shallow Hall, Music and Lyrics, Grey’s Anatomy and Alias. Throwing in songs like “Suspicious”, “Fascinated”, and “Distant Lights” – from their then to-be-released album, their first in five years-  resulted in an incorporation of newness and fresh appeal as far as growing anticipation.

And the crowd, baring much more than their hipster/scenester best, showed their support, appreciation, and good taste in the band that, when not venturing in the solo realm, are simply referred to as Ivy. Punctuating the evening with sing-along smiles and various head motions of rhythmic acknowledgement all throughout the set, they composed themselves just enough so as to not beg for an encore. We would have understood if they did, though. Behold the power of willpower.

Check out photos from the show below!

Photos by Tommy A. Monroe