Crumb — Observatory Orange County in Santa Ana, CA — May 7, 2023

Halfway through their tour, CRUMB played a sold-out show at the Observatory in Santa Ana. The crowd was vibrating with energy as they eagerly awaited the dreamy indie band to take the stage. CRUMB’s discography is full of all the grungy guitar reverb of your 90’s punk dreams and hypnotic synths that paint vivid emotions into a soundscape. For every haunting and alluring track, the crowd would erupt and cheer at the first strum of every bass line they recognized. Playing hit songs like “Ghostride” and “Locket” and one of their newest singles, “Crushxd”, had the entire venue in sync with head banging and dancing to the infectious drums and guitar riffs, crafted by Johnathan Gilad and Jesse Brotter. 

At one point in the night, Bri Aronow, the angel behind the keys, broke out a saxophone, making the crowd roar with excitement and energy. I couldn’t tell if I was more giddy and dizzy from the band’s pure charm or the melodic riffs echoing from every instrument on stage, including frontwoman Lila Ramani’s voice. CRUMB is a must-add to every indie playlist you have in your repertoire and summer rotation. If you have the chance, don’t miss the chance to catch the funkiest interludes (not limited to saxophones, tambourines, and synths) along with the most addictive distortions and guitar solos on the second half of CRUMB’s tour.

Words & Photography: Victoria Alexis