Delorean at SOhO

I’ll be the first to admit: I expected Delorean to bring the party to their Wednesday night headlining spot at SOhO. Still, even my lofty expectations (and the fact that I had had their brilliantly crafted recent release, Subiza, on loop for weeks) would not prepare me for the dance party these four Spaniards incited during their short S.B. stay.

But before we go there, one must give credit where credit is due. While Delorean no doubt brought the night’s almost-capacity crowd to their collective feet, the show as a whole truly worked to get the place good and primed for dancing. Local boys Gardens and Villa started the evening off with an especially groovy set, premiering a whole slew of new tracks from their as-yet-unreleased debut LP. With a few tweaks and the addition of a spot-on auxiliary noisemaker (not to mention a recent helping hand from production guru Richard Swift), this quartet-turned-quintet has gone from promising avant-folk outfit to full-blown and fully orchestrated synth-happy rockers, making a strong case for S.B.’s burgeoning indie scene.

Following that, recently signed Los Angelenos Foster the People delivered their fair share of buoyant, Korg-tinged tunes to a fast-growing crowd. While the much-hyped “Pumped Up Kicks” acted as the set’s standout moment, there were many hook-driven highlights in the mix, indicating that there’s still plenty of promise (and catchy tracks) left in these fast-rising youngsters.

Once the adrenaline and anticipation was running high, Delorean took to the stage and almost immediately got the place shaking. With a small throng of partygoers crammed front and center, the quartet dished up not-so-old-oldies like “Deli” and a slew of Subiza-born cuts, including “Stay Close,” “Infinite Desert,” and the unendingly building “Real Love.” Yet setlists weren’t ever really the focus of Delorean’s stint, as songs moved between one and the next with the fluidity of a deft deejay’s hand, building upon each other in an attempt to keep the audience moving. As lead singer Ekhi Lopetegi’s chants drifted in and out of the mix, guitarist/knob twiddler Tomas Palomo and keyboardist Unai Lazcano helped to keep the energy level high, pounding and stomping each song’s beats and rhythms with an intensity that not even the crowd could match. As the night came to a sweaty close, with floorboards shaking and fists still pumping strong, it felt as if, just for an hour, the boys of Delorean had transported us back to their homeland, where club culture is king, and even indie rock has a place in the dance party—especially when it’s delivered like this.