On this warm Friday night, I headed to the Doug Fir Lounge to see the sold out show of Little Daylight and the headlining band Clean Bandit. If you haven’t been to the Doug Fir, let me set the scene for you. It’s located on East Burnside in beautiful Portland, Oregon and the venue has a very modern, cabin feel to it. The stage is located downstairs with a full bar for those who are so inclined.  When I first walked in, I could tell this isn’t my normal local scene show by any means. I was feeling a little out of place in my jeans and t-shirt as I made my way to the center front of the stage in the sea of faces. The overall atmosphere was a mix of sophistication, high class and hipster cool. It almost looked like the room was full of Portlandia extras of all ages and diversities.

The crisp fresh air made the place very comfortable, unlike the sweaty humidity of the usual metal shows I attend. People were standing in groups holding their hand crafted alcoholic beverages as the band from Brooklyn, New York, Little Daylight took the stage. This alternative pop band consists of three core members and a drummer that they use for live performances. Each of the core members had a keyboard in front of them. Matt played the lead guitar and was also the occasional percussionist, Eric played the bass, Ernesto on drums and Nikki the vocalist and tambourine aficionado. Their sound was smooth and the songs flowed well together. Nikki’s voice I felt was just powerful enough for the music, not too quiet and not over powering. I really enjoyed the drums to the song “Overdose” and the song “Mona Lisa” very much reminded me of “99 Red Balloons” by Nena from the 80’s. The last three songs they said they wanted to turn the place into a dance party. To kick off the dance party the band busted out with a cover song of “Just Dance” by David Bowie that they made their own. They crowd did start dancing and Little Daylight ended their set with a bang.

Once Clean Bandit took the stage, the Doug Fir was packed! The stage was pretty open and there was great energy from the start. Clean Bandit opened with their jamming single “A&E” that I believe I hear some steel drum in it. I loved it! Each member on stage brought so much energy and personality; it was difficult to not move to the songs. Their music is a mix of classical, house and electronic and let me just say it was fun to dance to. The ladies stole the show! Florence and Elizabeth both had powerful, soulful voices that complimented each other perfect. I loved watching them interact and their voices were so beautiful to perfection. Grace had the sweet, innocent voice that would just memorize you when she sang. All three women had such great company with Jack, Luke and Milan each so talented that made the music flow with just the right mixture of classical and electronic sounds.  My favorite songs were definitely “A&E”, “Come Over” and “UK Shany.” Of course you can go to a show without one or more drunken asses trying to ruin the night, no matter what genre of show you are at but thanks to security swiftly handling the problem they didn’t mess up the night. They show was fantastic, full of high energy and dancing, a seeming camaraderie that everyone there left smiling and satisfied.