Los Angeles-based soul-punk-rock band Papa was already three shows into a five-show run at the South by Southwest music festival, but that didn’t stop the Darren Weiss- and Danny Presant-helmed group from putting on an electric show at Cheer Up Charlie’s on Friday night.
Drawing upon their 2011 EP A Good Woman Is Hard To Find and other tunes that should make it on a planned 2012 full-length, Papa had a dusty SXSW crowd dancing with their infectious grooves.
Highlights included Weiss’ growling vocals coming to the fore front on “Collector,” which held the audience’s rapt attention as the crew attempted to find another kick pedal when Weiss’ went missing.
Once he got the issue fixed, Weiss told the crowd, “When this shit kicks in, oh my God it’s gonna be good.”
As his cymbals crashed in a snarling crescendo, Weiss came through on that promise.
Papa closed with “Ain’t It So” and “I Am the Lion King,” a catchy number that even includes a break for Weiss to get out in the crowd for an impromptu handstand.
Weiss apologized in advance to the crowd if his voice faltered. As previously noted, it was the fourth performance for the band on Friday, with one more to go.
But no worries. Papa seemed fresh as ever despite their heavy work load.
For more information and a list of tour dates, visit Papa’s official Facebook page.