Rarely have I strut down Wilshire Blvd with as much swagger as I did on that Saturday night. Why you ask? I was donned head-to-toe in a Koala onesie ready to get down with The Polish Ambassador at the third stop on his onesie-themed tour. On my right: a pink bunny with weird chest fur. On my left: a little black number with French Bulldog faces on the feet. Inside the theater we would find NASA space teams in orange jumpsuits, neon ski suits, barely-there leotards, skintight latex etc. Everybody looked great, everybody felt great.
DJ Vadim began the evening with his unique blend of electro and hip-hop. Though he was born in Russia, he moved to the UK at a young age—and both of these influences are very present in his style. This choice of supporting talent pleasantly surprised me. His easy, percussive groove was the perfect way to build the energy in the room.
When Ayla Nereo and David Sugalski (aka The Polish Ambassador) took the stage to unveil their new collaborative project Wildlight, the crowd went insane. Ayla was in a sexy animal-print jumpsuit, while The Ambassador rocked a fitted navy get-up with sequin shoulder pads. Prior to the show I had only heard their opening song “Live Inside a Dream”, but after what I witness, I’m a loyal fan. Nereo’s sulty tone and folk-inspired lyrics wander effortlessly on top of Sugalski’s signature earthy funk. Though they have a downtempo feel, they are magically uplifting. Nereo impressed the crowd with songs mixed by looping live-recorded vocal tracks of hersel—you could almost consider it sound art, it was so mesmerizing. Their debut album, “Hers Was As Thunder” is available on a name-your-own-price basis here: http://bit.ly/149YRtO.
Leaving his sequins behind, The Polish Ambassador took the stage in his traditional blue and yellow—it’s time for the Feature Presentation. Right by his side was lighting designer/visual artist Liminus—a live set-up that I wish was more common. It’s thrilling to watch the collaboration unfold in front of you—it’s true synergy. The subatomic sound of The Polish Ambassador rattled the El Rey in a sexy, soul-crunching kind of way.
The energy is always so amazing at his shows—and I credit it partially to his amazing dance skills. (No, seriously. He’s a really good dancer.) Though he dipped into some of his flawless vintage tracks dating back as far as 2006, my favorite moment of the night was when he rocked his amazing “No Diggity” remix. It was just beautiful to watch so many creatures in onesies get down. Liminus provided a beautiful mix of rich washes of color and video clips to perfectly accentuate the music.
This is only the third stop on their tour, but they’ve sold out each night and I promise you they aren’t losing any momentum. Buy your tickets (and onesies) right away and get ready for one of the silliest, grooviest nights of your life!
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
10/12 – Cincinnati, OH (The Mad Frog)
10/13 – Adams, TN (Fly Free Festival)
10/17 – Charleston, SC (Music Farm)
10/18 – Rockdale, TX (Art Outside)
10/19 – Atlanta, GA (Terminal West)
10/23 – Westchester, PA (The Note)
10/24 – Cambridge, MA (The Sinclair)
10/25 – Brooklyn, NY (Brooklyn Bowl)
10/26 – Burlington, VT (Higher Ground)
10/30 – Grand Rapids, MI (The Intersection)
10/31 – Chicago, IL (Bottom Lounge)
11/1 – Milwaukee, WI (The Miramar Theatre)
11/2 – Minneapolis, MN (The Loft @ Barfly)
11/7 – Breckenridge, CO (thee20south)
11/8 – Boulder, CO (Fox Theatre)
11/9 – Denver, CO (Cervantes)
11/12 – Boise, ID (The Reef)
11/14 – Bellingham, WA (Wild Buffalo)
11/15 – Seattle, WA (The Crocodile)
11/16 – Portland, OR (Wonder Ballroom)
11/17 – Eugene, OR (Wow Hall)
