When was the last time you went to see a band play for the first time and knew you were witnessing something special? Le Loup is barely out of the gate yet, but they’re making major waves and for good reason. The seven piece band is producing something so infectious, so engaging, and so very of-the-moment, it’s not hard to see why Hardly Art, a label started by some folks from the revered Sub Pop, sent a scout out to their second show and has since signed them.
Four guitars, a big swell of layered instrumentation, and breathy dual male/female vocals — all energy, Le Loup make an impression from the moment they take the stage. They have a sound that fills the room, building momentum and delivering the waves that build and pound and retreat, keeping the audience engaged every moment of their set. From uneasy and chaotic noise, they deliver each song in joyful bursts. Every member of the band is completely present during their performances; if at any moment someone’s not playing an instrument, they’ll dance around the stage or clap or sing back up.
There’s a lot a band made up of 7 core members can do, and Le Loup’s figured out a way to do most of it. From french horns and tambourines, to banjos, keys, a bevy of drums and more, the gusto they take the stage with never dies down. There was a marked improvement between the first and second time I saw the band play (their second and fourth shows, respectively), so by the time you catch them they’re likely to be even tighter. The only fault I found in their show was that lead female vocalist May Tabol isn’t as strong on the big rock wailers as she is on the lighter dual harmonies. Her pretty, melodic warble got lost when she went for volume. But it was a flaw that was hard to focus on — the deft drumming and instrumentation throughout the entire band, and the raging amounts of energy and harmony that came off that stage made it seem insignificant. They’re masters of the dramatic build — deftly dropping and adding instruments to keep tension in each track. In short, Le Loup has made some serious fans out of the folks of DCist.
It’s also worth noting that the sound at the Black Cat was absolutely perfect when we saw Le Loup play there. Each instrument was miced perfectly — and with seven people, that’s no easy feat to pull off.
