The Regrettes’ Show-Stopping Return to Los Angeles: A Night at the Wiltern
The Regrettes played their first Southern California show of 2022 this week at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Their anticipating home-city fan base hung on to every word sang and spoken by the band’s frontwoman, Lydia Night. Touring since she was 12, Night is no stranger to the stage but rather, an incomparable presence with a supernatural ability to command an audience and bring them along with her and the band for “the best night of their lives.”
The Los Angeles based pop-rock band is composed of lead-singer Lydia Night, drummer Drew Thomsen, guitarist Genessa Gariano, and bassist Brooke Dickson. Night elaborated to the crowd on how special playing The Wiltern was for them, because of how many small, cramped venues they have played in this city, from house shows to this show at a full venue with a capacity of 1,850.
Earlier this year, the band embarked on a “Get the F*ck Out of LA” tour — the tour’s namesake derived from a lyric in their song, “Monday.” The tour took the band across North America, but skipped Los Angeles. Their first gig this year back in their hometown proved that LA does not want them to leave again anytime soon. Their fans were attentive and full of energy — moshing for one song and kneeling quietly to the ground during another, both actions completed at Night’s commands. The audience danced with one another, sang the words back to the band, and the room was filled with an electric energy owed to the direct, nearly palpable, connection between listener and band member. The fan base ranged widely in ages — from a young daughter with her parents to teenagers out together to grandparents dancing in the back of the venue. The Regrettes have been successful in creating an environment that is safe and joy-filled for all of their fans.
The band largely performed songs off of their sophomore album, Further Joy. The show encapsulated an emotional journey aligned with many of the album themes — joy, heartbreak, questioning, longing — all interwoven with the band’s unmistakable pop-punk sound. The band sang a range from their discography, including, “Pumpkin,” a song about falling in love and “That’s What Makes Me Love You” — the latter of which feels like a continuation of the first and tells of a love story years down the line. The band jumped around with their fans to their upbeat hits, “Barely on My Mind” and “California Friends.” The performance included recent songs, as well as songs that have already been solidified as classics for The Regrettes — proving their talent and authenticity has been prevalent since their formation as a band.
The Regrettes closed with “Seashore,” a song that Lydia Night asked the crowd to dedicate to someone or something that has been pissing them off by throwing up their middle fingers during the chorus. She offered her grounds for being angry — the Supreme Court of the United States — and encouraged anyone who couldn’t think of their own to join her. The Regrettes and their fans sang out the last song with everything they had left — the hope, Night exclaimed, was that they could get out their anger together and leave it in the theater.
The Regrettes are a true powerhouse in music and have proved that they have everything it takes — striking lyricsm, an authentic sound, a loyal fanbase, and true star-quality presence on stage. The band formed in 2015 and have been touring and releasing music since.
The members have truly honed in on their craft and their triumphant 2022 tour has solidified The Regrettes as a must-know band.
