Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – Friday night at Hollywood Forever’s Masonic Lodge had an ethereal feel to it for those lucky enough to get tickets to the sold-out Dragonflies show The band is a collaboration between musician Dhani Harrison and producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck).
It was their debut show though Harrison noted that technically their first gig was on Jimmy Kimmel the previous night. They played their self-titled debut album front to back with the band joking that no one in the audience had heard any of the songs since it was released on that very day.
The two have been friends for years. The collaboration between the two started during the pandemic when Harrison reached out to Godrich to discuss his 2023 album “Innerstanding.” From there, the two decided to work on new music together. Their press release mentions that while making their debut album “they discovered a new, brotherly depth to their friendship, and the fact that their bond allowed them to explore emotions and aesthetics neither could in another project.” In fact, they’re working on a second album.
To start off the night, the band walked through the audience to get to the stage and were met with cheers as people started to realize that the band was coming through. The opening track of the album, “Slower,” has a jazz beat that bloomed gracefully. “Setting Sun” is an atmospheric track with a dance groove layered beneath. “The Weight” has an orchestral touch. Each song added to a building meditative mindset.
At one point, Harrison asked the band, “Everybody ready?” The band included Joey Waronker (Oasis, Beck), Nick Valensi (The Stokes), and Maurice Talbot. It was a full band onstage that included guitars, bass, keys, drums, and two backing singers. Each member of the band helped turn the album’s material into a fully lived experience.
As the set came to a conclusion, it was mentioned to the crowd that since they were playing all the songs from the album, there would be no encore and that they had only two songs left. Those songs were “In Between” and “End Of World.” “In Between” has a psychedelic feel that was highlighted by the venue’s stage lights.
Against the venue’s back wall, the lights turned into fireworks exploding across the sky. “End Of World” has a staccato beat. Towards the top of the back wall is a stained glass rose window. The music highlighted that the window was a portal leading to new discoveries.
Setlist: Slower, Setting Sun, Straight Line, Heart or Head, Ophelia, The Weight, In Between, End Of World.
