La Luz live with The Earworms. Rotown, Rotterdam Friday 31 October 2025

Photo: WdN-vdB

Mesmerising. That word covers this Friday evening in Rotterdam's Rotown. It was Halloween and this American festivity has reach my home country alright. I'd never had known had I been doing what most likely most people my age do, sit at home and watch tv.

Before the show started, a smiling, greyish sun wobbled on stage, moving slightly from left to right and back and then all four members of La Luz came out from behind it, one by one. After which they started a beautiful instrumental track, well instrumental? The three front ladies all sang their oohs and aahhs in that sweet, but so convincing way La Luz sings together. Exactly what makes La Luz's music so mesmerising.

Shortly after the release of 'News Of The Universe', the band's latest album, I saw it play in Paradiso, as part of some sort of festival. The show never really got into its stride. A new line up of the band, with new songs, the venue, the shortness of the gig itself? Who knows, but the show never came alive, I went home quite disappointed.

Photo: Wout de Natris - vdBorght

In Rotown I knew within seconds that this show was going to be very different and it proved to be true till the very last minute. La Luz was in a top form. Despite it being the show before last, Utrecht had that honour on Saturday, of a month long tour, the ladies wanted to have fun as well. Despite Shana Cleveland saying that she was not stoned, she and keyboardist/singer Maryam Qudus were giggling a lot. Whether it was the big meal before the show or something they smoked before the show, neither affected the quality of what was on offer.

The way the band moves between psychedelia and surf, from Zappaesque instrumental intro's or interludes to 1950s pop is simply exquisite. The use of dynamics superb and the mystery sprinkled over everything, causing it all to be, there is the word again, mesmerising. Although there may have been a mistake or two, who cares, you just start again and do it right. We're all humans and prone to make a mistake sometimes. It never affected what the band came out to do: capture its audience.

La Luz played a fantastic show and I can't wait to hear new music and see new shows. I can only wonder why so little people came to listen to this fantastic band. Rotown may not have been even half way filled. What a shame!

Photo: WdN-vdB

All this does not go for The Earworms. The bandmembers' scary Halloween make up and clothes fitted the evening well. (For all I know they always look like this.) The tempo and mood changes in the songs were very well rehearsed, that I have to say, but. I can't help wondering that this show came way too early for The Earworms. Its music sounded forced and not fluent enough. What did not help, and that is me personally, that the music reminded me of the gloomy music coming out of the U.K. and Germany in the early 1980s. The reason I stopped reading 'Muziekkrant Oor' for about ten years. Not my cup of tea The Earworms is.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght