Lotus comes on unexpected and energetic

By J. Wesley Wilson–

For a band with a name that suggests the peace and tranquility that meditative reflection can bring, Lotus sure knows how to throw a dance party. The Indiana based five-piece came into Headliners music hall last Monday night and unleashed a relentless assault of electronically infused dance-rock for nearly three hours.

Lotus isn’t exactly your straightforward rock band. They’re self-described as “post-everything”. Their songs are entirely instrumental, hinting at acts like Explosions in the Sky, but with the added benefit of a danceability that flourishes with their use of synthesizers. And not just light synthesizers. Heavy, bass-filled synths that are as distorted as anything you would hear from electronic groups like Black Moth Super Rainbow. This fusion of rock and electronica is what seemed to have brought the crowd that assembled, as many of them seemed to be fans of the electronic dance music craze that was brought by the likes of Skrillex and other heavy dubstep engineers.

Unlike most bands you see at Headliners, Lotus is one for which the set list isn’t really an important factor. They played almost non-stop, and with an emphasis on taking the crowd for a roller-coaster ride of a show. The band alternated between fast, groovy tracks and mellow-toned, contemplative jams with relative ease, and at every twist and turn, the light show was there to perfectly match and reinforce the moods that Lotus were conjuring in the crowd.

And what a crowd they were. The fans of Lotus really get what the music is about: carefree dancing. The usual problem with dancing in a crowd is that a lot of prospective dancers get self-conscious about how they’re going to be perceived by everyone else. With the crowd Lotus drew, that wasn’t a worry. Their fans were warm and inviting, but more than anything, they expected you to dance as fiercely as they did.

All in all, going to see a groovy dance-rock band with a hardcore following definitely isn’t the worst way to spend an evening out. Lotus brought an energetic crowd, an immensely talented set of musicians, and a grooviness that would make even Reverend Moore from “Footloose” tap his toes—at least!

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Photo: J. Wesley Wilson/The Louisville Cardinal