Photos by Edlon Christenson // Written by Molly Kish //

SORNE //
The Independent – San Francisco
July 11th, 2013 //

Echo Park’s own Morgan Sorne, aka SORNE, hit the stage The Independent last week. A sparse crowd danced loosely amidst the open dance floor half-filled with a seated section leading up to the bar. Adorned with face paint, flowing garbs and a fine sprinkling of festival residue, the scene felt more like a Burning Man decompression than a typical bill at The Independent, leading one to naturally want to abandon all expectations of what exactly was going to take place that evening.

Known for SORNE’s elaborate stage show and creative set designs, the anticipation escalated quickly waiting for him to approach the stage. Marketed as an audio/visual performance, detailing the “archetypes of the human condition,” the crowd eagerly awaited the spectacle to commence. SORNE took the stage, which remained bare, with his bandmates Kevin Naquin and Dean Cote, who accompanied on percussion and back-up vocals. Absent of any frills or stylistic grandeur, the jean-and-tank-top-clad frontman immediately broke into material off of his debut album. Those present instantaneously responded, and to my surprise could care less about whether or not the act lived up to its theatrical promise. SORNE’s energetic stage presence would be the “spectacle” of the night amidst the barren backdrop of the band’s equipment and mic stands.

The band’s talent took precedent upon acceptance that SORNE’s “epic saga” was going to be more of a straight-forward performance. Morgan Sorne’s vocals were amazing, the percussion was on point and his energy throughout the entire show was relentless. Many songs were reminiscent of Yeasayer’s All Hour Cymbals, as each song had its own charismatic charm with undertones of tribal beats and desert trance paired with electronic pop-rock.

Although great for a simple and to-the-point rock concert, it was hard to break from the anticipation of expecting something more. The concert didn’t resonate properly due to expectations based on the SORNE marketing campaign. Although SORNE is a band made up of great musicians with a refreshingly energetic stage presence, the unfulfilled feeling still remains and unfortunately will be what was remembered most about the show that evening.