TV on the Radio radiated in a musical explosion at the Glass House in Pomona Tuesday night, coinciding with the release of their newest EP, “Read Silence.” The experimental rock band sparked with breathless energy and ignited with industrial beats while still layering fiery vocals.
Tunde Adebimpe led TV on the Radio with his raspy, full-bodied voice as Kyp Malone infused his 70’s style vocals over Adebimpe as he clenched a mustard-colored electric guitar. Gerard Smith cued in with a commanding bass guitar while Jaleel Bunton hammered his drum kit.
TV on the Radio formed was in 2001 by Adebimpe and pianist David Andrew Sitek and released their atomic album “OK Calculator” and embraced evolution and experimentation in their album “Return to Cookie Mountain” and their latest “Dear Science.”
The Glass House performance mostly featured songs from the dreamy and variant “Dear Science.” Each song seemed to be perfectly placed to contradict the next. The rhyme rapping “Dancing Choose” led into the patient and eerie “Love Dog.”
TV on the Radio maintained a kaleidoscope of sound as they shook reindeer bells and jolted through the saxophone, clarinet and trumpet. There seemed to be no level of absurdity and creativity the band could not meet. Adebimpe leaped in Converse shoes, and a sweat-soaked t-shirt as he cried out the popular “Halfway Home.”
The lyrical prose of each song created a depth and level of emotion that released a playful despondency. TV on the Radio seemed to find amusement in exclaiming their deepest fears and regrets. Some words were masked in metaphor, but in their poetry there was a lighthearted sense of tragedy.
The New York based band clearly embraced their urban environment as they untangled industrial sounds and incorporated vibrating tones into smoky rhythms. TV on the Radio played as if performing on a crowded city street. They energetically got the crowd stomping and clapping while Adebimpe whistled a soulful melody to “Staring into the Sun.”
TV on the Radio cut their show a little short when they exited the stage a little after an hour of playing. It took the passionate rumblings of the crowd to inspire an encore. The band humbly returned to the stage and streamed into “Family Tree.” The powerful song mesmerized the crowd as orange and yellow lights sparkled above the stage. The band continued with two more songs before they departed to riotous applause.
The captivating TV on the Radio seemed to connect effortless to congregation of fans while retaining a sense of whimsy and crisp exposure. They weaved their lyrics and chords like threads in a quilt. TV on the Radio dangerously mixed the poetic with the violent without sounding contrived. They embraced technology while still commanding instrumental skill.
TV on the Radio will be playing Coachella this weekend, where they are likely to put on another eloquent performance.
