The Naked and Famous & The Colourist — Review & Interview
By: Arin Segal
Tags: Colourist, Review, And, Music, Interview

As the seasons truly begin to change and the coolness of fall sets in, my playlist has officially been updated and fall touring is in full effect. A brisk Tuesday night led me to The Trocadero in Philly to see The Naked and Famous and The Colourist. Having just announced they would be opening for Imagine Dragons next year, I was curious to see what The Naked and Famous would be like. The Colourist on the other hand, I had discovered through the Nokia commercial and was curious to see what their live performance was actually like.

About 8:30 the show began as The Colourist took to the stage. Keeping with their name, the stage was brightly lit in a variety of colors through the show. A roughly 30 minute set got the night started and had fans dancing and singing along. One of my favorite things about this band is the fact that not only do they have a female drummer, but she is also one of the lead singers. To me, that defines a woman who rocks and it was a pretty awesome sight to see. When it came time for “Little Games,” anyone in the crowd who didn’t know the band before instantly knew who they were simply because of their commercial with Nokia. As the set drew to a close, fans were prepped and ready for the rest of the show.

The Naked and Famous took to the stage with bright strobes and bright lights. Beginning with “A Stillness” and transitioning into “Hearts Like Ours,” fans were taken in from the first note. The lighting was visually one of the most interesting designs I’d seen, making for a fabulous visual show to work in harmony with the fantastic vocals. From start to finish, fans watched, sang, and danced along to the music. To end the night, the final encore was the band’s hit song “Young Blood,” which like The Colourist, I had heard on a few different TV shows over the past few years.

All in all, it was a great show and both artists are ones to catch if they’re ever in your area. Check out photos & an interview with The Colourist’s Adam Castilla below.

Q: How did you all meet to form the band?

A: Maya and I connected years ago. We had never sang in bands before, she was just a drummer and I just played guitar and piano. While we were trying to find a singer, we ended up just taking the ropes ourselves. Justin, and Kollin were introduced through mutual friends and our chemistry clicked from day one. When I introduced Kollin to Maya, Kollin had super long hair and I had told Maya that he used to be in a German Val Halen cover band called Von Holland.

Q: How did the process of writing songs for the EP work for you?

A: Each song on our Lido EP came together differently. I think thats what makes each song unique. Theres not really a formulaic way of

writing for us other than making each story of the song come to life both live and on the record.

Q: Do you have a favorite part of the live show?

A: Personally, at times from stage if I connect with someone in the audience and they are mouthing the lyrics to a song that hasn’t been released yet, theres a special connection where the song and performance connects with the both of us. Its pretty exhilarating.

Q: When the deal with Nokia was made to be the focus of one of their ads, what was that like?

A: It was really spontaneous. When we received the offer we honestly thought it was some sort of spam in our inbox. The day of the shoot I remember the director having a vision for the band that allowed us to be us. He wanted the commercial to be as real as possible to create that organic live feel of our performance.

Q: What can fans expect to see from you after the tour?

A: More music on its way!

Q: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

A: Ah, so many! The Church, Ian Curtis, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, The Stooges and Roy Orbison off the top of my head.

Q: Being on the road provides plenty of time for ‘road trip music,’ who is on your playlist right now?

A: We listen to a lot of Art Bell who has a new talk show now. Depending on our moods the playlist fluctuates from annoying pop songs or jock jams to iconic songs that make us feel warm and tingly inside.

Q: How big of a role has social media played in getting your music out to new fans and keeping in touch with older ones?

A: We often enjoy taking pictures from the road or from shows, its nice being able to connect with old and new fans just from an app on your phone.