Shout Out Louds @ Aladdin Theater 05/21/2013
Those sweet Swedes still got it. After 10+ years, numerous tours and a new record every 3 years or so, The Shout Out Louds are making sure they are not just a thing of the mid-2000’s past. Since the band’s iconic break out album Howl Howl Gaff Gaff in 2002, the band’s frenetic energy has imbued every work they have released, all stamped with their unique stream of conscious lyrics, bubbling harmonies, and expert tambourine stylings.
A generous crowd for a Tuesday night crowded in front of the Aladdin. From the moment the band stepped on stage you could feel the mutual appreciation in the room: For the band members and each other, for the crowd in front of them, and the audience’s gratitude for their coming half way around the world to play in rainy, cold Portland. Muttering a few words for thanks, the band immediately swept into ‘Sugar’ the first track from their album Optica which had been released a few months prior. Just the right amount of saccharin nostalgia, this percussive swaying and frolicking guitar licks backed by twinkling keys so indicative of the Shout Out Louds heated the crowed with a slow burn that finally resulted in a rolling boil when the first few notes of ‘The Comback’ were pounded on on keyboardist Bebban Stenborg’s Moog.
Standing in the pit between stage and seats you could tell you were surrounded by people who have been captivated by the Shout Out Louds since 2002. Words trickled silently (or not so silently) from their lips as they swayed in Portland fashion to the lyrics lead singer Adam Olenius howled with a smile. The stretch of Shout Out Louds classics was by far the favorite of the crowd. ‘100°,’ ‘Please, Please, Please,’ and ‘Oh, Sweetheart’ sent us back in our memories to the time when we rolled down our car windows and bellowed the songs in to the night (or was that just me?). The crowd’s longing for classics was not quite satiated as the set came to a close and more of Optica, was performed. How can you blame them for not playing every single one of our favorites? They have a new album to tour; an album that will, in turn, become a classic amongst fans. The Shout Out Louds haven’t lost an ounce of talent, charm, energy, or adoration from their legions of fans.
Words and photos by Bex Silver.