Near the end of their West Coast leg of the tour, Michelle performed a sold-out show on stage at the Voodoo Room at House of Blues for a fantastic night of funk, pop, and harmonious music. The six-member New York band has been in the indie stratosphere since their debut album “HEATWAVE” in 2018 and has only gotten more deserved praise from their recent album release, “Songs About You Specifically,” which came out on September 27. The group was joined by Los Angeles artist ggwendolyn, who opened first.

ggwendolyn was a name I was vaguely familiar with leading up to the concert as I’d see her songs appear in various curated indie playlists on Spotify. So to see her perform live was a treat as she put on an intimate performance and made an excellent opener in prep for Michelle. They performed several of their newly released songs including “small town rodeo” and “pawnshop president”. Despite only being backed by their drummer and laptop producing the rest of their backing track, ggwendolyn made for an engaging opener where they made hand gestures following along to the words of songs and at some points even finished their songs on the floor of the stage.

Not long after Michelle came on to an applauding crowd and from start to finish, their live performance was a joy to watch. Their stage presence was electrifying, that absolutely brimmed with an infectious energy that had people dancing and letting their funk out. From the moment they stepped on stage until their last thank you to the audience, they had the audience’s attention in a grip.

The group comprises Sofia D’ Angelo, Julian Kaufman, Charlie Kilgore, Layla Ku, Emma Lee, and Jamee Lockard. Charlie goes on bass and between a song break announced the night’s show would be one of his last on the tour as he’d be taking a step back from the tour life. Julian on drums then encouraged all of the audience to chant Charlie’s name and gave him applause whenever the time allowed. Just as the rest of the show went on, the crowd couldn’t help but applaud nonstop after every song. At one point Sofia said to the room of fans “What did they put in the tap water San Diego?”

During every song, the group looked to be enjoying themselves on stage, which only fed off the crowd. The four ladies of the group effortlessly moved in line with each other in sync as they performed choreographed dance routines with smiles and laughs in between. The feeling of authenticity of seeing them have just as much fun singing their songs as fans were dancing to them made Michelle only more likable. The energy they carried on stage had nothing short of a lively atmosphere.

Their music blended a fusion of pop, R&B, and funk that creates a unique sound that feels nostalgic and fresh of the current R&B music landscape. Take for example, “Painkiller” a slow song from their new album that has all the makings of something you’d hear from the early 2000’s but that familiarity in their music makes their sound all the more accessible. Looking around the venue between songs, there were people of different ages who looked 20 – 30 years older than myself but all there for the same reason.

The group’s vocal harmonies were pitch-perfect. All of the band’s voices blended equally well together, you’d think they’ve been doing this for years and years. With harmonies so tight, each member brings a unique vocal tone you can pick out that makes each song feel inspired and new.

In a concert world where artists can rely on a backing track to do all the work, Michelle is a breath of fresh air with their part concert part synced dance experience. Their raw energy made their shows a must-see for any showgoer.