JOYWAVE BRINGS THE ‘EXPRESS WASH 2023’ TOUR TO THE FILLMORE UNDERGROUND

Photos and Writing by Aleshia Jenkins

Joywave is currently on the road for their ‘Express Wash 2023’ tour. They recently stopped by The Fillmore Underground in Charlotte, NC. It was the perfect evening for live music. The weather was unseasonably warm and and it was obvious from the vibe inside The Underground the crowd was out to have some fun.

The evening kicked off with musician Elliot Lee. I wasn’t familiar with her music but after listening to a few songs, I noticed the lyrics to her songs had a message that her fans, or as she calls them “Bubblegum Army ”, could relate too. Songs like “Treat Me Better” (her latest single out March 2023), “54321” and “Easy To Be You” deal with topics today’s youth seem to be facing daily such as depression, gender identity, feelings of belonging, and heartbreak. Her alternative pop lyrics and electric club beats have a way of getting the crowd singing along with her. I found her fans to be younger but it works because they can identify with her and she with them. I asked a girl standing next to me how Lee’s music influenced her. She replied that she suffers from anxiety and trust issues and the song “54321” really hits home for her.

Next up was Dizzy, a four piece Indie-pop band from Canada. The band consists of brothers Alex, Charles and Mackenzie Spencer and Lead vocalist Katie Munshaw. This was another band I wasn’t too familiar with but the crowd seemed to enjoy them. Munshaw came out on stage wearing a white Oxford shirt and striped tie with a black skirt and her hair pulled back, very understated. Her soft spoken almost angelic voice silenced the crowd and everyone seemed to mellow out and enjoy the set. I found the band’s music to be calm and soothing, like music I hadn’t heard since my alive after 5 cocktail lounge days on Thursday nights pumping through the sound system at my favorite hangouts.

Finally Joywave hit the stage, talk about a wild fun stage presence and good time live show. Even though the Underground’s stage was small, Daniel had total control and used every inch of space to entertain the crowd with their upbeat techno sound. I’ve been a Joywave fan for a few years, ever since I heard the 2014 colab song “Dangerous” with Big Data, so I knew I was going to enjoy the show. The stage was dark then all of a sudden, the headlights of a Corvette with personalized “Joywave” license plate lit the stage. Soon each of the band members came out wearing black one piece jumpers with yellow neon piping, guessing it was to tie in the car wash theme. With the first song, Daniel had the place jumping and chanting the theme with vigor. He knows how to take control of the stage. Some of the fan favs of the night that had the place jumping and fist pumping were songs like “Ugly Ending”, “Buy American”, “Somebody New”, “Tongues”, “Dangerous” and “Destruction”.

Highlights of the evening were a Birthday sing-a-long for drummer Paul B half way through the set and Daniel’s dig and personal feelings about Panera Bread Co. Boldly stating that “Panera is nothing but glorified hospital food” sent the crowd into a hilarious uproar of laughter.

The ‘Express Wash Tour’ will be making stops in cities like Athens Georgia, Nashville and Milwaukee and many more before wrapping up in New York City on April 25th, see the full schedule below. Be sure to check out each of the bands latest music on your favorite music platform.