When Sam Eastgate, the mastermind behind LA Priest, begins his set from off the Clwb Ifor Bach stage, an immediate silence ripples through the captivated crowd. As he makes his way onto the stage, so begins our transportation to an experimental realm, with Eastgate warmly inviting the audience to lean into his creative laboratory for a glimpse of his astonishing mind.
More than capable of taking the reins, there is a true feeling of comfort as this seasoned performer leads the crowd through a near-psychedelic experience, surrounded by an impressive display of speakers, pedals and different tools that help to elevate his production. LA Priest’s songs are artistic soundscapes: a truly well-rounded body of work, hitting on a deeper level than musical/lyrical, and cohesive in spite of the diversity in sound and feel.
A funky yet chilled melting pot of styles which bear comparison to Declan Mckenna (in a contemporary context) and Prince (in a more classic pop one), an LA Priest set is impossible not to move to – evident by the endorphin-induced crowd’s toe-tapping, hip-shaking and head-bobbing. And – in a new approach to writing an album – Eastgate plays us new songs, encouraging us to shout out and be part of the creative process.
Confessing that he feels slightly lonely as a one-man band (he’s more often seen fronting a band in this guise), Eastgate is not afraid of getting amongst the audience, playing to fans with only inches between them. It’s clear he’s in his element, and that this is his playground – inhaling the energy of the crowd and exhaling talent, as he darts about the room as much as physically possible. LA Priest’s experimentalism doesn’t just manifest in the sound he makes but the layout of the space in which he makes it, climbing on whatever’s available and using whatever means to create a truly immersive evening.
LA Priest, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Fri 7 June
words and photos JOSEPH ELIJAH
