The colorful characters that make up Priests and Sons of an Illustrious Father took over Valley Bar on a Tuesday night for a celebration of music that defied the weekday doldrums.
With only two bands on the lineup, Sons of an Illustrious Father took the opening slot, smiling at the crowd’s eager faces. The trio, made up of Lilah Larson, Josh Aubin and Ezra Miller, traversed through their catalog of “genre queer” music. All three are multi-instrumentalists and they all sing, breaking the mold of a typical band setup.
The band gets a lot of attention from Miller’s acting successes, but their music truly speaks for itself. Larson, Aubin and Miller exude pure, raw talent and they sing about issues and topics that resonate strongly with their listeners.
Sons of an Illustrious Father played to a rapt crowd for nearly an hour, visibly thrilled to be onstage with each other and for their fans.
Priests didn’t make the audience wait long before kicking off a set reminiscent of Bikini Kill mixed with the magical oddity of St. Vincent. Frontwoman Katie Alice Greer was a cotton candy wonder in her gold bodysuit and pastel curls, while guitarist G.L. Jaguar brought the wild west onstage in his boots and cowboy hat.
Midway through their set, Greer and drummer Daniele Daniele swapped jobs, similar to SOIF before them. Each member also shared vocal duties throughout the night, keeping the energy high and the dancing nonstop.
Priests plays loud, fast and tight, honing a modern punk sound into a set that had fans’ ears ringing as they left the venue. The closed with the raucous “Jesus’ Son”, elevating a weekday night to the next level for every fan in the crowd.
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
