THE THE LIVE AT THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM

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Ensoulment Tour 2024

Live at The Shrine Los Angeles

November 13, 2024 Review by Michelle Cooper

I had never seen The The live – never even owned an album – but have been a fan for 40 years. They are one of those bands that I would hear on KROQ and crank up, or listen to at my friend’s house in the mix with Bauhaus, The Cure, and Depeche Mode.

A band that I had always wanted to see, but just hadn’t gotten to it yet. As you can imagine, I was so glad to have the opportunity to see them perform a two-set gig comprising of a new album and their classics.

We have all wished we could see a band play a whole album or two, and give us a good three-hour set. Unfortunately, many artists from the early ‘90s and beyond just don’t have the energy to be on stage that long, or they can’t sing the songs in the same notes as they did in their prime.

Well, Matt Johnson and his band, The The, decided to do a tour that would be exactly what we wished for! The The gave us a three-hour set – with a 15-minute intermission – with no support band, and it sounded amazing! It was a perfect set.

Before the show began, an announcement was made requesting the crowd keep phones and cameras put away. They made light of it by stating they are from a generation that came from analogs, and the phones are just too distracting to them. They also requested no chatting; just have a listen for the first set – the entirety of the “Ensoulment” album, their first album in 25 years. Surprisingly, the crowd went along with the request and not one phone was brought out for the first set of the show, and really, no chatting.

For the “Ensoulment” album set, the lighting was somewhat dark. During the songs, we were given the imagery of a woman’s silhouette dancing behind a curtain, in a classy, seductive way. Johnson’s voice was soulful and gave a lounge bar, kind-of vibe. My personal favorite was “I Hope You Remember (The Things I Can’t Forget)” when instead of playing their instruments, the only bass drum was tapped with by foot, and beats were clapped; it gave so much more depth to the song.

Johnson’s parents owned a pub in London and the first set is reminiscent of that environment and mood. I can imagine going into a pub in the UK and sitting down, having a tot with all the components of the band’s music in the background.

After “Ensoulment,” the band took a brief intermission, and then came back to give us what we knew from our teenage years as The The. Unfortunately, no Johnny Marr on this tour, but they still sounded fantastic and very few phones were brought out as people seemed to be lost in the moment.

Some of the classic songs had been reworked; a song you expected to be a bit faster, may be on the slower side. Perhaps more mature and appropriate for us now in 2024.

Former guitarist Eric Schermerhorn joined in with Barrie Cadogan for three of the retrospective-set songs, giving the crowd a bit of a surprise.

My favorite songs of the second set were “Whisperers,” “This is the Day” (a KROQ fave!), and “Dogs of Lust.”

They ended their massive set with a two-song encore containing “Uncertain Smile” and “Giant.”

I don’t know if Johnson requested his people to pick a theatre that would complement the mood of the sets, but the Shrine was the perfect setting for this event.

I normally don’t like sit down venues; I like to dance and mosh. But tonight, the sitting – and standing when the song was a bit more dance appropriate – was perfect.

The “Ensoulment” album was well worth the wait, and so was the tour. This is one of my favorite shows of 2024!

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by Shane Pase Photography

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