Review | Disclosure Turns a Weekday at the Bowl into a Weekend Night

How do you turn a Tuesday into a Friday night? Invite Disclosure to the Santa Barbara Bowl. 

“We’re going for the full Friday vibe,” said Guy Lawrence, who — along with his brother Howard — returned to the Bowl just months after their last set. 

“You know, usually at this point, I’m quite used to saying ‘It’s been a long time,’” Guy added a few songs in. “But you know what, it actually hasn’t.”

It didn’t matter. A sea of pashminas, sequins, and cellphones still packed the venue. On a chews-day — the brothers are English — no less. “Let’s make this Tuesday feel like a fucking Friday night,” Guy declared.

Their entrance set the tone: a suspenseful sequence of strobing lights, fog, bass, and a virtual hype man asking, “Y’all feel that?” before announcing they had “Disclosure in this motherfucker tonight,” in case anyone was unaware.

Two silhouettes then emerged through the haze, stepping up to a smorgasbord of sonic playthings — acoustic and electronic instruments that were not mere smoke and mirrors.

Brothers Howard and Guy, both formally trained musicians, don’t just press play. They rotate constantly — drums to bass to keys to cowbell — building a kinetic mix of UK Garage and house that’s blended with touches of pop, dubstep, bass, and soul. As Guy joked midway through the set: “Disclosure as a genre — What the fuck is this?”

Even if you don’t know Disclosure by name, their songs are played everywhere, from raves to living rooms.

They opened with 2013 classics “F For You,” and “When a Fire Starts to Burn,” blending soulful, recurring vocals with catchy rhythms. The latter ignited the stage — the pair appeared to be engulfed in flames as they stoked the fire.

They kept the first stretch of the set nostalgic, filling it with dynamic electronic compositions and mixing in pop-melodies like “White Noise,” featuring vocals by EDM duo AlunaGeorge. Much of it was a full-blown house-music jam sesh. 

By 9 p.m., Guy asked the crowd, “Are we feeling nice and warmed up, Santa Barbara?” before shifting into new material, including “Sun Comes Up Tremendous” and “Deeper,” pairing lush visuals of wildflowers, forests, and ocean waves with brighter melodies and vocals sung by the duo themselves.

The final hour was a progression from dark to light. Heavy, bass-driven house — and a surprise soprano saxophone — filled the Bowl with weebles, wobbles, and wub wubs (excuse my lack of professional terminology, but I’m writing this, not you).

Then came the turning point: “Out of the dark and into the light!” they declared.

Rainbow visuals and iridescent shapes flooded the stage for “She’s Gone, Dance On,” an upbeat dance track  the lyrics of which are not particularly distinguishable from gibberish but which stick in your head like a wriggling earworm. Phones lit up — at Guy’s request to bring out the “torches” — for the more emotional “Help Me Lose My Mind.” 

By the time the unmistakable opening notes of “Latch” (featuring Sam Smith) hit everyone’s ears, the entire audience was on their feet.

This is when the real party started. Horns entered the stage — musicians playing sax and trumpets that Howard introduced as “Hollywood’s finest.” They helped bring to life the track “Douha (Mali Mali),” a collaboration with African artist Fatoumata Diawara, set against the words “Santa Barbara” flashing on screen behind multicolored lights.

They closed with Flume’s remix of “You and Me,” horns swaying back and forth, drums pounding, bass ripping, all in sync. The song’s residue left the Bowl wanting more — but there was no encore.

According to Donny Brubaker, the Independent’s web manager slash deejay and musician, this show wasn’t drastically different from their last appearance. “They tried to make water into wine, but they made limes into lemonade,” he said. But, adding onto the Easter-inspired quips, “The crowd didn’t need to be resurrected, ‘cause they stayed alive the whole time.”

“These two brothers are on top of their game and to see them in such an intimate venue in such impeccable form is elite,” longtime fan Rich Lao, who made the trip from Los Angeles, told me after the show.

It was his eighth time seeing the pair live. “They never disappoint, always bringing the vibe and the energy … I had no idea that Guy was an incredible drummer.” 

Even though it hadn’t been long, it was still “so good to be back,” Guy said near the end. It proved that, at least for a night, a Tuesday could hold its own.