WORDS & PHOTOS BY ZACHARY KINOVSKY!
It was a rather frigid Leap Day evening in San Francisco as fans packed the Regency Ballroom to catch the third date of Best Coast’s ‘The Always Tomorrow’ tour. Along with punk band Mannequin Pussy the power-duo have recently embarked on a United States and Canada tour to promote their newest full-length album Always Tomorrow, their first official studio album since 2015. Despite some technical issues, both bands performed full and lively sets to the crowd which was full from the pit to the balcony.
Best Coast got their set started with the title track from their California Nights album before busting out two new tracks ‘Different Light’ and ‘Wreckage.’ They wasted no time jumping into older tracks from their sophomore effort The Only Place and their debut low-fi indie/surf rock Crazy For You, which turns 10 this July. Guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Bethany Cosentino, swapping between a guitar, tambourine, and keyboard, worked the crowd wonderfully, belting out her songs and acknowledging the packed house without going on for too long between songs, grateful to have a packed house and to play in San Francisco for the first time in a few years.
Multi-instrumentalist, Bobb Bruno, his hair blowing wildly in a wind created by a portable fan on the side of the stage, stuck to lead guitar duties with the help of touring members Brett Mielke, Joe Bautista, and Dylan Fujioka covering bass, drums, keyboards, and rhythm guitar. Numerous influences pour into Best Coast’s sound, some tracks sound like they could come from a country album, others sounding like a shoegaze My Bloody Valentine style soundscape.
You wouldn’t know it from being there, but opening act, Mannequin Pussy, played more songs than Best Coast (18 songs!). The band creates a unique blend of punk rock, indie, power pop, and noise rock with many tracks that clock in at just two minutes, if not less. In fact, their 2016 album Romantic doesn’t have a song over 2 minutes and 40 seconds. This caused some confusion with the photographers present as we all collectively weren’t sure how many songs had been played in order to abide by the 3-song rule.
But the group’s ability to go from aggressive and loud to timid and vulnerable maintained a great deal of crowd interest, despite most of Best Coast’s fans not being keen to forming moshpits. Vocalist/guitarist, Marisa Dabice showed excellent presence and range, giving her all on her guitar parts, and at times setting it down to roam the stage and let loose on select tracks. At some point she appeared to ask someone to throw a shoe to her, which was lobbed somewhere between her and guitarist Athanasios Paul, and placed on a speaker near the front of the stage. Why? Because why not.
These two acts play off each other incredibly well and provide unique takes on their respective genres. If you catch them anywhere on the west coast, hell, even on the east coast, expect a crowded house and an excellent time.
BEST COAST
MANNEQUIN PUSSY
FEBRUARY 29TH, 2020
THE REGENCY BALLROOM, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
PHOTOS BY ZACHARY KINOVSKY!
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