On the evening of Nov. 23, Orange County punk rock legends Fletcher and Wyatt Shears, members of the band, “The Garden” hosted their biggest event yet at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles.
Not only was “The Garden” performing, but openers such as 3l3d3p, Slater, Cowgirl Clue, Enjoy and Puzzle also made appearances as well. For most of these artists, this was their largest crowd to date, considering the event sold out on that night of the show.
Over 6,000 tickets were sold that night and the Shrine Auditorium hit maximum capacity. Tons of fans came to the event in the spirit of dancing, moshing, and having a good time overall.
The first opener of the night was an artist named 3l3d3p, also known as Marina Thompson, she’s known for her alternative/experimental electronic music. Her relatively known songs are “lbitbt,” “HNNi” and “Trgdy Plybck.” Her performance was very memorable with her singing all her hits and ending the show with “lbitbt” with 13 million plays on Spotify.
The second performer Slater, also known as Nichlaus Beaty, was a three-man performance with Kent Osbourne on guitar, Slater on bass, and the drummer, whose identity is unknown. His music is very diverse when categorizing his songs, he is well known for his alternative pop/smooth/groovy hip-hop. Slater is no stranger to experimentation. His hits consist of “Trix” featuring “Enjoy,” “Swallowed My Key” and “I’ll Put it on Metal.” His performance was very different from his usual shows when he is just a one-man performer, this time around he was performing with his new band members which was cool to see.
The third artist of the night was Cowgirl Clue, also known as Ashley Clue, who gave a stellar performance. Drawing from her teenage years as an underground DJ, Clue blends classic rave sounds with country and pop influences, describing her unique style as “Y’allternative Music.” With hits such as “Cherry Jubilee,” “Trailblaze” and “Picket Fence.” She has a sound like no other mixing country and EDM elements together, combining sounds you’ve never heard before.
The fourth artist Enjoy, the solo project of Wyatt Shears, was a four-man performance with Wyatt as the frontman. Describing Enjoy’s music is pretty hard to define, it’s a fusion of fast-paced punk, quirky electronic synths, and sharp acoustic guitar. Shears’ influences include SoCal and UK punk, drum and bass, and 70’s funk. His top songs of the night include “Dear John Letter,” “Save My Soul, Not My Ship” and “Hard Lesson.” The performance has lots of people moshing and dancing, and was definitely a highlight of the night.
The final opener of the night was Puzzle, the solo endeavor of Fletcher Shears, which was also a three-man performance with Fletcher as the frontman, which is different considering Shears is usually the drummer for his performances and studio songs. Puzzle’s music is also very diverse, with lots of experimental/lo-fi elements in his songs. Some of his hits are “I Saw An Angel,” “Loose Cannon” and “love is a place to hide.” His performance was great, considering this was one of the first few times he was the frontman for his solo project.
Last but certainly not least, The Garden finishes the show and ends it with a bang! The members of The Garden, Fletcher and Wyatt Shears, had performed their new EP “Six Desperate Ballads.” Their music is more experimental than anything, with genres that range from garage punk, surf rock, lo-fi, electronic, art punk, electro-punk, hyper-pop, and ska. The best and final song they performed that night was “Thy Mission” featuring Mac Demarco and they brought him out, which made everyone go crazy.
Vada Vada 2024 was a success. Supposedly, they will do this every year, so let us hope to see it happen next year. It was definitely a night to remember.
