Last Sunday, Cinco de Mayo, I had the chance to check out a band from Los Angeles that I had never heard of, Stars in Stereo. The five piece was opening for Bullet For My Valentine, but their sound was more radio friendly. They definitely had a sound that can be carried into large arenas, so they did well playing to a venue of around 2500 people, but they seemed as though they haven’t quite perfected on stage antics for the big stages yet. Nonetheless, the members interacted with each other very well on stage. Singer Bec Hollcraft interacted well with the crowd, and both parties appeared to be having fun.
Overall the sound of the band is very easy to get in to. The members of the band all dressed in dark colors with haircuts and appearances that would otherwise imply that they play heavier music, but instead they play pop music with themes and attitudes of heaver music. Overall, their sound is very much like what they are often billed as, “a female-fronted band along the same lines as 30 Seconds to Mars”. They had a few songs that stood out well, including their single “The Broken”, which is easy to sing along to. The band has a wall of sound underneath the vocals, with Hollcraft joining in on third guitar for part of the set. The band also made use of delay pedals and electronic synth backing tracks. Paired with their sound was a set on screens covering speaker cabinets. These screens showed different images and some song lyrics. They had a very well rehearsed live show, and everything that they did held up live.
If you are into bands like 30 Seconds to Mars or Flyleaf, you will enjoy this band’s music. While I could tell that they are still getting used to bigger stages, I would still say that they show enormous potential to develop into a much bigger band, especially if they keep touring with big acts!