Latest news with #MikeHadreas
Japan Times
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Friday night's all right for …
Mike Hadreas, aka Perfume Genius, ruled the Red Marquee around dusk as the sky outside turned purple. A fitting color considering Hadreas's dramatic stage presence and the melodramatic tone of his songs, which range from gentle piano ballads to full-on glam rock. Perfume Genius at Red Marqee | Daiki Miura photo Twisting and writhing in line with the tenor of a song, he seemed almost elastic onstage, and the crowd absolutely adored it, cheering every dying swan routine and impossible arched back swoon. Skinniness was never so sexy. Perfume Genius at Red Marquee | Daiki Miura photo OK Go's early evening set at the White Stage was well attended by a very polite crowd that was obviously into the American band's punchy power pop, though it would have been hard to tell if you only heard the show and didn't see the swaying, bopping bodies. OK GO at the White Stage | Johan Brooks photo Ably assisted by bassist Tim Nordwind's fine soprano backing vocals, the group's aural component was studio perfect. Leader Damian Kulash tried to connect with the audience directly by asking if there were any questions. Some wise guy asked what their favorite Japanese food is and each member answered appropriately, though drummer Dan Konopka was the most honest: 'Beer,' he said. OK GO leader Damian Kulash | Johan Brooks Apparently, there were electrical issues all day at the Green Stage, thus forcing Fred Again's set to be pushed back by 90 minutes. We caught Ezra Collective's set at the Field of Heaven. Though ostensibly a jazz group bassist-spokesperson TJ Koleoso insisted that the Field become a big dance hall, and they definitely brought the funk while trying out rock concert moves — getting the entire audience to squat and then jump up on cue, that sort of thing—that everybody was totally cool with. We only caught a bit of Fred Again's set at the end, but though he's categorized as a dance artist, Ezra got more bodies moving in our estimation. Tech staff fill the stage ahead of the delayed performance of Fred Again .. | Johan Brooks photo But the highlight of the day may have been Shintaro Sakamoto's midnight gig at the Red Marquee. The shed was predictably packed and the self-effacing former Yura Yura Teikoku leader eschewed the psych rock his old band was famous for, concentrating solely on his solo material, which leans heavily toward yacht rock. A fantastic guitarist who can move from delicate melodic riffs to sky-high note-bending, he and his very able band just kept going from strength to strength, and all without the usual Japanese stage chit-chat. It was serious pop music, which means everyone left very happy. Fred Again .. at Green Stage | Masanori Naruse photo
Washington Post
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
For indie rocker Perfume Genius, performing is the antidote to isolation
On the eve of his latest North America tour as Perfume Genius, Mike Hadreas is focused, he says, on finding 'the perfect stackable chair.' 'I'm concerned that my chair is too heavy,' the indie rocker explains. 'I want to be able to lift it — and throw it, potentially.' Figuring out the stage choreography — and how the chair fits in — is something Hadreas says he'll workshop throughout his tour, which kicks off in Phoenix on May 30. The 43-year-old singer-songwriter, who came to prominence in 2010 with an emotionally raw debut album, will perform a WorldPride concert at 9:30 Club on June 7. Hadreas is speaking on a video call from his home in Los Angeles, between sips of Diet Coke. He loves the stuff, he says — so much so that the soda was featured in the music video for 'It's a Mirror,' the lead song on his new album, 'Glory.' Hadreas declines to reveal just how many Diet Coke cans he drinks each day. 'But it's a lot,' he says with a smirk. This tour comes about two months after the March release of 'Glory,' Hadreas's seventh studio album as Perfume Genius. The energetic, grungy, guitar-laden album explores themes like isolation and anxiety, death, and the anticipation of grief. Hadreas's earlier music grappled with issues like homophobia and sexual abuse. His latest album is born out of fears that first reared their heads during the covid-19 pandemic. 'Death just feels like something that's going to happen to me. And it didn't used to feel like that,' the Seattle native says. 'It became like an obsession.' The song 'Left for Tomorrow,' for instance, sees Hadreas imagining a life without his mother. The song's themes took on new relevance when his beloved Chihuahua, Wanda, was killed by a snake about six months after the album was completed. But writing about those fears helped, Hadreas says, because it gave him a way to channel his emotions. 'It just becomes like a relief,' he says. 'I feel way more confident and smart when I'm writing than I do just walking around town.' That's also part of the point of the album. Rather than conquering your fears, perhaps it's enough to simply live with them, he says. 'The music is better when it feels risky and you feel a little like you don't have the answers,' he says. 'It's like exposure therapy. Actually saying what you're afraid of, instead of frantically trying to not be afraid.' Though isolation is a central theme of 'Glory,' producing the album itself was more of a collaborative effort than some of Hadreas's previous works, he says. Among the contributors was his longtime partner and instrumentalist Alan Wyffels. And while Hadreas has a tendency to self-isolate, especially when he's writing music, he says he also appreciates that going on tour pushes him to do the opposite. 'It's my job to be more extroverted for a while,' he says. 'Tour is how I'm social. It forces me to be less isolated.' June 7 at 6 p.m. at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $41.
