Ume (ooh-may) performed at The Satellite in LA on Friday April 4th to support their new record Monuments (Dangerbird Records, the follow-up to 2011’s Phantoms).
Playing a cool green Fender guitar (before switching to a darker green one for the second song), Lauren kicked off Ume’s set and powered through, song after song, with almost no talk in between.
Ume played a mix of harder, almost screamo-influenced songs and softer songs, which reminded me of No Doubt circa Return Of Saturn. I definitely preferred the softer songs, like “Too Big World” and “Barophobia.”
The new song “Barophobia” was, in fact, the highlight of the Austin-based band’s show. Placing it in the middle of their set, Ume changed “Barophobia” up from the album version, distinguishing the choruses from the verses more by emphasizing distortion on the chorus.
Unfortunately the Satellite’s sound that night wasn’t the best — the bass was way too loud and made the vocals hard to hear. A bigger space and stage would fit better with Ume’s expansive sound — it felt a little constrained and loud in a room the size of the Satellite.
There were also videographers filming the concert, so keep an eye out for that footage to surface.