Wallowing in a Wallows Weekend

Despite an illness leading to the cancellation of their San Diego show, Wallows was able to pull through for an incredible hometown show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. Some may recognize Dylan Minnette from his acting, such as his role as Clay Jensen in the Netflix T.V. series, 13 Reasons Why, but he is also a ridiculously talented singer and guitarist. He and bandmate, Braeden Lemasters (who is also an actor) alternated being the lead vocalist and guitarist, creating an absolutely unpredictable performance.

Australian indie artist, Hazel English opened for the band. Everyone cheered as she revealed that she had recently moved to L.A. By the end of her set, English won over the crowd with her personable demeanor and soothing voice.

Minnette, Lemasters, and drummer, Cole Preston, have been together as a band since they were thirteen years old, under previous names The Feaver and then The Narwhals. Wallows came to be only in 2017, with their first single “Pleaser,” which was released in April. Since then, they have released three more singles, “Sun Tan,” “Uncomfortable,” and “Pulling Leaves off Trees.”

Acknowledging that they have only four songs, Lemasters introduced their new unreleased material to excited fans. The band experimented with a quite unprecedented instrument-- the trumpet. They also performed an exceptional cover of The Smiths’ “This Charming Man.” Fans were supportive when Minnette brought his friend up to perform a new song with the band. Nonetheless, the energy during “Sun Tan” was unparalleled to any other moment during the show. Nearly every member of the crowd was shouting the lyrics “Okay, I’m a fucking loser…”

Coverage by Sumin Choi

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