Benches played a euphoric set at A&R Music Bar on Tuesday, August 5th, with support from San Diego indie five-piece, Pleasure Pill.
This show was the fifth stop on the band’s tour promoting their newest EP, Kill the Lights, released May 23rd of this year. Before the gig, I sat down with members Ethan, Charlie, Anson, and Evan for a brief conversation.
Originally named Ignant Benches, the project began as lead singer Anson Kelley’s school talent show act ten years ago. As the project grew more serious, benches dropped the ‘Ignant,’ with drummer Ethan Bowers, bassist Charlie Baird, and lead guitarist Evan Ojeda joining in late 2022 after crossing paths with Anson in the San Diego music scene.
Kill The Lights marks the first project completed by Benches’ current lineup. According to Bowers, the project is a statement towards “establishing ‘this is what benches is now.’” The band also expressed that the EP was creatively freeing, and they are getting better at answering the question of ‘when is a song finished?’
Bowers continued on their recent EP release, “we learned so much from it, even though it’s only five songs, I feel like we’ve packed three albums worth of knowledge into those five songs,” adding that this learning experience “makes me a little more proud of it too, when I hear it, I think,” with Baird adding “it is very freeing for whatever we do next. I love how eclectic it is.”
Initially using the tongue-in-cheek labels of “bench rock, bench pop, post-bench, proto-bench, and bench punk,” the band also described themselves more traditionally as being “alternative rock.” While Benches’ sound has been compared to that of early-2000s rock bands, such as The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Foals, or Phoenix, this band brings their own modern, west-coast twist that I recommend you should hear for yourself before sorting them in any category.
Despite being in their early to mid-20s, benches are locked in on the task ahead. Having supported Dublin rock band Inhaler on consecutive US tours and played Lollapalooza the previous Sunday, the band were in their element and more than ready to headline larger and larger dates of their own.
Before shows, Ojeda explained, “we make sure we all get together, huddle around. Charlie leads us through it. Three seconds in, three seconds out, just decompress really quick” – a tradition the band has carried on since a particularly big show opening for Inhaler.
This pre-show ritual has lent itself to remaining level-headed as the band plays in front of larger crowds, as he recounted that after the first time “we did that, and it was like magic. I remember walking out and being like, ‘My body’s at ease. I feel like we’re all in sync.”’
Onstage, benches had a nonchalant, easy presence. As an early-2000s baby, the show was what my kid self imagined cool concerts would be like when I grew up. It was dancey, fun, and over in the blink of an eye.
Ironically lucid considering the title, Kill The Lights featured a light show that encapsulated the EP’s bright, distant, dreamy sound. That night’s performance included the central four tracks from Kill The Lights, kicking off with the title track, a band-favorite to play, as well as “Naive,” “Reach,” and “Orchid.” Not included in the show were the first and last tracks, “Departure” and “Here Come The Bitter Tears,” which completed the EP both literally and by adding to the project’s overall cohesiveness.
In addition to songs from Kill The Lights, Benches played also “I Don’t Make Me,” “LA Friends,” “Common Sense,” “Red Handed,” “Crash,” “Angry Lizard Noise,” “Modern Day New York,” “Mephisto’s Waltz,” “It Doesn’t Have To Change,” “Violent,” “Monodrama,” “No, Thanks, Please,” and “Queen of Hearts,” according to Setlist.com.
Benches have a devoted fanbase, with many individuals in attendance seemingly caught in their own mini-Beatlemania. The crowd in attendance skewed slightly female, and the knows-all-the-words to doesn’t-know-all-the-words ratio was much higher than what I usually see.
On the live experience, Bowers remarked that “it seems like our live show has developed in the way that people resonate with that a lot more, too. I think it’s a better representation of the songs now, too.” It was clear that the fans connected not only to the lyrics but also to the energy of the music and the musicians themselves.
Benches feel the love from the fans and do their best to return it. According to Kelly, “I feel like we get everything that we want from our fans currently. Everybody has kind of just accepted us with open arms. That is really all you can ask for.”
Benches also hear the fans’ requests for new music, with their message to the fans being one of flattery and of asking for patience: “God bless the patient fans. Yes, we will be in your city as soon as we can,” continuing by asking for patience on new releases and adding that they would like to do a UK tour as soon as possible.
If you are on the fence about going to a Benches show, then get off the fence and get on a bench – they will not do you wrong.
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