Another unseasonably warm night in Arizona meant one sweaty show at The Rebel Lounge for Makeout Reef’s headlining tour. The California band was joined by Israel’s Arcade for a show that turned the tiny Phoenix room into a roiling, violent mass of bodies that shook the walls.
Israel’s Arcade had barely taken the stage when the crowd started moving, shoving to the front while waves of fans crashed up on the stage. The California group came armed with a saxophone and an indomitable magnetism that radiated from frontman Izzy Pinedo. The band was wired in and performed with a practiced ease that nearly went unnoticed underneath the comfortable chaos in their sound. Anyone in the audience not already familiar with the band was visibly onboard by the end of the set and thoroughly warmed up for the tour’s headlining act.
Los Angeles quartet Makeout Reef didn’t let the Rebel crowd cool down before launching into their exuberant set. In addition to their obvious talent and connection with their fans, the band also has one of the most attention-grabbing names we’ve heard in awhile- just one of their charms that resulted in a sold out show. Fans were shouting more than singing along to “Star Power” and “Poison Tree” while a few bold showgoers braved a crowd surf or two, clinging to the venue’s exposed pipes and turning the floor into a teeming mass of limbs and energy.
The band called for an open moshpit of women only, allowing the girls to let loose while everyone else held the edges to the delight of everyone looking on. The Rebel Lounge was properly steaming by this point, both the band members and the fans dripping with sweat and entirely unwilling to relinquish the night. The show eventually came to a reluctant close, signaling Phoenix’s eager hope that Makeout Reef will return with their boisterous indie rock very soon.
