This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
To say the least, Supergrass played flawlessly with a crowd that refused to leave until they got an encore, despite lead singer Gaz Coombes’ voice pretty much gone by the end of the show. But we’re here to review Pilotdrift, the opening band.
As promised, they came on stage at 9:00 p.m. on the dot. The audience, who had gathered seated on the floor, simultaneously stood up and crowded the stage the exact moment Pilotdrift entered. It felt just a little creepy and planned, but then again, Pilotdrift’s new website is just a bit creepy to navigate.
In their 40 minute set, Pilotdrift swooned the audience and picked up many new fans. Live, they are a little more homey and garage-like than their polished CD, but we liked their nonchalant style and stage presence. Drummer Ben Race probably has one of the fastest clean and single stroke tom-tom rolls (he also played keys on the first song). Lead singer Kelly Carr stayed house right the whole show and while his angular movements won’t compare to Alvin Ailey, they were quite cool to watch. All in all, they are down to earth, make beautiful music and we hope they are back in L.A. soon.
After the show, Pilotdrift said this was their best show yet (meaning our Los Angeles audience) next to their show in DC. They were a bit sketched out by the Tempe, AZ show on Tuesday night with a less than full house, less than stellar audience (Supergrass experienced the same that night). Tonight they play at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
The Avalon itself is now one of the best places to see live music in Los Angeles. Since The Palace days, the place has cleaned up with an excellent sound system and amazing lighting rig (the in house light guy last night did an amazing job improvising along with Pilotdrift).
The Spider Club is upstairs, but last December we spoke about Honey (what the Blue Palms is to the Henry Fonda). We ate there after Pilotdrift while waiting for Supergrass to begin. If you are sick of the typical diner atmosphere and food for late night eats, Honey is the way to go. Hidden off the south alley of the Avalon, it feels like classic Hollywood. Their late night menu offers rock shrimp, lobster corn dogs, pigs in a blanket, ham and cheese and other delights. Catch is, this isn't a diner. The food is more swanky, more expensive, but damn good. For 2006, Honey wins the award for Best Grilled Cheese sandwich in Los Angeles. We mentioned this to Pilotdrift who hadn't eaten there yet, but we hope they did later on. Last time they ate here, things didn't go so well.
