University of Sussex Students' Newspaper

Review: Warpaint – Brighton Dome 29.03.17

Lauren Wade

ByLauren Wade

Apr 5, 2017

After a brief hiatus, LA band, Warpaint are back with their third studio album ‘Heads Up’ and are touring it across the UK. Tonight we find them in Brighton Dome – upon the stage are assorted decorative house plants with fairy lights strung tastefully around them.

As the Californian quartet take to the stage, the lights spring into life, dazzling away, whilst a purple haze serves as the backdrop to Warpaint’s wistful performance. The formidable outfit have undeniable chemistry but lack enough charm to win over the audience at first.

Their brand of edgy dream pop feels lost on the crowd; it takes a while for Warpaint’s spell to kick in but by the second half a livelier response is evoked from the assembled masses as they up the pace and plough through the hits.

Comprising of Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman on co-guitar and vocal duties, Stella Mozgawa on drums and Jenny Lee Lindberg on bass, the badass girl gang draw in a demographic of all ages as they showcase killer tracks from their latest album.

Their best bangers to date ‘So Good’ and ‘New Song’ go down a storm, with the roar that greets the newer cuts proving to be deafening. The atmospheric, swooning centrepin of their set, ‘Love Is To Die’ allows Warpaint to truly shine, even if they did get off to a rocky start.

It’s easy to see why their music is such an effortless draw, but it’s also understandable why some people might not necessarily get what Warpaint are about. Either way, it would be a safe bet to say they won over a few new fans this evening.

Lauren Wade

By Lauren Wade

Music Editor

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