Phantom Planet

Southern California (commonly referred to as SoCal by locals and cool kids), The O.C and brushing their teeth with a bottle of Jack before Ke$ha made it famous. Need more be said? I think not. However, as this epic band has given us so much, it's only right to give them their due. Straight from their parents garage, to one of West Hollywood's biggest and most respected stages, The Troubadour, these guys have been performing on stage since before their friends were even old enough to go and see them, and being the only guys in class who are legally permitted to enter a club while still going through puberty, makes them instantly just that much cooler than the school stud.
After being catapulted to international recognition when their song which undoubtedly both inspired, and roared from cars of teenagers across the land as the anthem to many a road trip, and which pays homage to their hometown of California was chosen as the theme tune for the hit television series, 'The O.C', this five man show of understated talent has been through many changes including dismantling but more importantly, reuniting.
Rather fittingly, performing at the place that kick-started their career and has transformed many other starting out musicians' dreams into a reality, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and Paramore to name but a few, a reunited Phantom Planet played live at The Troubadour and what else would they play but none other than the song that epitomises going back to the roots, 'California'. Under the cover of the darkness from where they started and welcomed by the screams of true fans, these laid back Cali boys delivered a crowd roaring performance. Complete with long floppy rocker hair, the famous neon Troubadour sign behind them and the most mellow guitar solo I have ever seen, these guys definitely brought it right back to where they started from.

The members of Phantom Planet love 60s pop music and hold no reservation in parading this for the whole world to see. Their sound is fresh, nostalgic and essentially an absolute pleasure to listen to. They are not necessarily trying to do anything new in the music scene, rather their intention seems to be to champion the music they love and play music because they love to. Maybe this is why their shows are so invigorating to see live. They write the kind of music that speaks to them and present it with sincerity and confidence.
Fortunately their music also happens to speak to thousands of others and how can it not. They come up with pop hooks quicker than the Cars and write lyrics that are instantly relatable. As previously mentioned their sound is heavily inspired by the 60s british invasion as well as groups like the Beach Boys, but their is also an element of modernity to the group. They pick up influence from modern brit-pop bands like Oasis and Blur and also garage power pop groups such as Weezer and Spoon.
The set up of their live performance is in a sense traditional, but it is pact with a punch of energy. Alex Greenwald has the charm and stage presence that any frontman could only dream of having. He exerts complete dominance over the audience and has great intuition for anticipating the whims of the crowd. He can get a crowded room jumping up and down singing along to his lyrics in a second flat. For such catchy hits like "Always on My Mind" and "California" he doesn't even have to try. It happens as soon as the listeners recognize the tune. The whole theatre loses it to the performances of these tracks. After all many have even come to recognize "California" as a defining song for the the early millennials.

Phantom Planet - a band whose name is indelibly etched into the minds of all T4-watching-teenagers of the past decade. Who doesn’t hear that name and immediately hear a voice at the back of their mind wailing ‘Califoooorrrnniiiaaaa’?? This California four piece, consisting of Alex Greenwald, Darren Robinson, Sam Farrar and Jeff Conrad, reached near-star status with their song ‘California’, made famous by the TV series ‘The O.C’ But are they more than a one hit wonder? Well their live shows tell you that they definitely are! Pedaling their own brand of surfer-rock pop, they have a talent for writing amazingly catchy pop records that translate very well to a live setting; so much so that they have chosen to release several live albums over the course of their career. It’s fair to say that ‘California’ will be the highlight of most Phantom Planet gigs, just because every audience member knows the words and loves to get involved with the show by belting out the chorus at the top of their lungs. However, more recent songs, such as ‘Do The Panic’ from their 2008 album, are just as fun to listen and bob along to. If you get the chance to see all four members of Phantom Planet play live together, just do it! Embrace the West Coast and just let loose!