This Is Lorelei, Nate Amos’ solo project, headlined Hotel Vegas on Oct. 10 in support of his third studio album The Lead Singer In My Band. I will admit, I am not an OG fan. I have not been following Amos since Water From Your Eyes or listened to any of the 30 or so other EPs on Bandcamp. Instead, like many other late initiates, I first heard of This Is Lorelei after MJ Lenderman covered “Dancing in the Club”—the lead single off This Is Lorelei’s debut album, Box for Buddy, Box for Star—then decided to give the original a listen.
Once I got around to it, it got around to me: hook—soft shimmery synths, line—almost cartoonlike electric piano, and sinker—Amos’ wobbly Auto-tuned vocals. Needless to say, I was excited to see how he would interpret This is Lorelei’s mix of “heartland rock and hyperpop” live. Amos shares the same live band as Water From Your Eyes—which includes drummer Bailey Wollowitz and guitarist/bassist Al Nardo (who is also Amos’ fiancee).
Together, they played every single track off The Singer In My Band, sprinkling in fan favorites from his debut album Box for Buddy, Box for Star and his second album Holo Boy, such as “I’m All Fucked Up” and “Where’s Your Love Now”. Although I was disappointed that This Is Lorelei lost most of their electropop sound while performing, I appreciated Amos’ palpable commitment to the music.
Though he didn’t really speak or interact with the crowd between songs, which allowed me to focus on the art and the band, I noticed other subtler ways they showed their connections to the people and the place. Amos, sporting a 1998 Moody Blues concert shirt, gave a literal nod to Austin in a “Smile, you’re in Texas” trucker hat from FM Western, a local hat bar tucked away behind Trek Bicycle on South Lamar, while Nardo channeled rock star in a studded leather Le Temp des Cerises belt and thick black eyeliner that nearly swooped up to her hairline and dipped down to her nose.
Opener Colin Miller, who is also a member of MJ Lenderman’s band, fit into This Is Lorelei’s alt-country sound perfectly. I especially enjoyed Miller’s visuals, which treated us to a direct broadcast of CritterVision, a 24/7 live-stream of the local wildlife from a couple’s backyard in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. Over the course of Miller’s final song, “Porch Light”, I spotted three raccoons, one opossum, and a gang of foxes. What more could a girl have asked for on a Saturday night?