Review+Photos: Sylvan Esso, Aug. 16

Written by joe on August 17, 2017

Sylvan Esso | FFO: Phantogram, Tei Shi, Chairlift, Purity Ring

Sylvan Esso impressively sold out shows back to back on August 16 and 17 at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom. After seeing the band live, there’s no question why the band was able to sell out both of their nights. Sylvan Esso’s shows are an impressive and highly engaging experience, a lot of sound comes from this duo and a lot of energy is emitted by both of them.

Sylvan Esso is an indie pop duo out of Durham, North Carolina. The duo consists of vocalist Amelia Meath, and producer Nick Sanborn. The stage setup highlights both members, Nick and his electronic rig are placed right stage, leaving Amelia to work the rest of the stage. Behind them rests a large and intricate light display. Illuminating and engulfing the Crystal Ballroom and audience faces as the colors and patterns shift, and silhouetting Amelia as she dances and poses. The simplicity of the stage, and the addition of the intricate back lighting, leaves the duo open and vulnerable to the audience, fueling the raw performance further.

A quick look at the tour shows Sylvan Esso has had relatively the same setlist planned each night, with possibly the order of songs changed or the addition of a couple. It’ll be interesting to see how Sylvan Esso mixes things up for their two nights in Portland, regardless, the audience at night two will be mesmerized by their performance.

Find more dates for Sylvan Esso’s tour on their website, and follow them on facebook, twitter, and instagram.

Pictures and words by Joe Hernandez (@thisisbroseph // joe hernandez photography)