California Dreaming: Gardens & Villa and Waterstrider live

Santa Barbara’s electro-indie ambassadors, Gardens & Villa, played a Thursday night show that cranked up the heat and neon light at The Drake Hotel. Opening the evening was the animated Waterstrider – a band also from the Golden State with an impressive mix of strong vocals, funky riffs and percussion, and peppy keyboarding that give them an urban-tribal quality. Complete with a raccoon skin hat that gave their performance a Huck Finn flavour, Waterstrider proved an awesome start to the night.

Gardens & Villa then stepped onstage with a psych-rock ambiance that translated beautifully with the acid-washed video clips broadcasting on screens behind them. From their first song the band delivered a mixture of old and new tracks off their recent album Dunes that moved between tempos while never straying far from their trademark surrealism. Frontman Chris Lynch was spot-on with Sting-esque vocals, while the synth beats remained complementary instead of overbearing.

Laid-back and unhurried, Gardens & Villa are a band that make live shows fun. They seem to soak-up every minute on stage and find pleasure in the touring experiences that happen beyond the stage. The show was great for long-time fans, those seeking out new music (or to de-stress), or anybody just looking to ride a few multi-coloured waves of sweet beats.