St. Lucia treat POPSCENE patrons at Rickshaw Stop as full-length debut nears

St. Lucia (aka Jean-Philip Grobler) and his live backing band commanded the weekly Thursday night Popscene stage at Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco September 12. Playing to a sold-out crowd of rambunctious party people, the Brooklyn-based group kept the energy high with layered percussion and dance heavy anthems.

Jean-Philip Grobler’s vocals bellowed throughout venue, echoed by a crowd stacked high upon each other’s shoulders, coming close to swinging from the proverbial rafters. In order to even get a chance at some personal space to enjoy the show, one had to retreat to the upstairs loft, which was packed in itself. St. Lucia had the room buzzing, culminating in an off the charts dance party which easily could have filled a space double the size of the intimate venue.

St. Lucia’s band dynamic and infectious charisma spilled over into the crowd from the opening notes of their set. The group predominantly playing songs off the 2012 self-titled EP, and many in the audience sang and danced along with every track. Limited on material to cover at this point, the band stretched nearly every 4 to 6 minute song into extended dance floor frenzies. Grobler and company kept the crowd involved and entertained every minute of their performance with creative improvisation and an eccentric stage show.

Hinting at the soon to be released album, When the Night, due out next month, St. Lucia treated the crowd to an awe-inspiring performance of “Elevate” towards the end of the set. This is first single released off of the full length slated to drop October 8th, and crowd members reacted enthusiastically to the new material — a few even screaming out within earshot, “I fucking love this song!”

Download “Elevate” here.

Rickshaw Stop has been a venue to catch talent on the rise within the independent music scene for a while now. Clever booking and the success of their many curated evenings, including their regular Thursday installment of Popscene, play a major role in exposing many new artists to passionate young auditory pleasure seekers in the Bay Area. St. Lucia has gained enough traction at this early stage of his career to sell out much larger capacities, and it’s nights like this that truly resonate amongst music fans. A shear testament to what undoubtedly will be a successful full length debut while providing fodder for subsequent live shows going forward, St. Lucia’s performance at Rickshaw Stop was a special moment for both the band and fans alike.