Photos + Review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
Los Angeles – Julez and the Rollerz played Non Plus Ultra to celebrate the release of their EP Is This Where The Party Is? on recent Friday night. It was a very pleasant night in Los Angeles and so in between sets the crowd was hanging out on the venue’s back patio.
So the question could have been asked: was the EP release being held out on the patio or at the indoor stage? When the band was set up and ready to go, the crowd was still out on the patio. There was a sense of amusement by all who happened to be at the stage.
“Get your sweet ass in here and have a good ass time,” was yelled out by the band and a friend of the band went out to the patio to gather the crowd, “Yo, it’s starting.” The party shifted indoors with attendees quickly pressing to the front of the stage.
The crowd was treated with a set that hit the vocal melodies of ’60s retro rock, played the psychedelic notes with the organ synth, highlighted onstage performances by guitarists and bassist, and had the clashing of cymbals.
Lead singer Jules Batterman talked with U.S. Rocker about what inspired some of the songs released on the EP.
“Each song definitely reflects different ‘moods’ I was having for sure,” said Batterman. “‘Sorry I’m Just A Waste of Time’ I wrote during a time I just wanted to stay inside and felt like I was letting everyone in my life down. ‘Be Something New,’ I wrote pertaining to my boring mundane routines I rely on for dopamine, like going to the same coffee shops, going on the same drives around the city, ‘fucking myself to sleep at night’ etc, and wanting to change it up and be a different kind of person for once. ‘Wildest Fantasy,’ I wrote about my dreams, navigating the big, scary, forever changing music industry, and how tiring it is to keep your dreams alive sometimes. ‘Confess’ and ‘Think About it’ are a little more personal.”
Batterman mentioned about coming to Los Angeles from the East Coast and getting accepted into the LA music scene. And in conversation with U.S. Rocker, “It’s such a blessing to be surrounded by such an amazing supportive community of talented musicians and creatives here in Los Angeles, and seeing so many familiar faces around at the show warmed our hearts. Buckets and Foxx Bodies were incredible and I’d say overall the night was very successful.”
There definitely was a community on this night as Los Angeles music scene notables in the audience included members from bands such as Broken Baby, Pegzilla, French Mouth, Sugarmill Slim, The Cigarette Bums, and Ughh.
Opening up on the night was Buckets who energized the crowd with their rock tunes. With some encouragement from the band, the crowd chanted “Buckets! Buckets! Buckets!” throughout the set. When a dog made an appearance in the crowd, the band briefly stopped the set to give the dog some personal attention.
Foxx Bodies is a mix of primal screams and expressive stage performance (as the set ended, the lead singer took a nosedive onto the floor which might have had some in the audience wondering if a concussion had just occurred) that ended in a band group hug.
Julez and the Rollerz setlist: Sorry I’m Just a Waste of TIme, Be Something New, Wildest Fantasy, Confess, Think About It, In Secure City, Knocks Me On The Floor, Lookin’ Through You, New Connections.
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https://www.instagram.com/foxxbodies/
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