On February 21st, fans packed into the Observatory OC for a highly anticipated show as Hippo Campus brought their Flood Tour to town! With their signature blend of indie rock and catchy melodies, the band delivered a captivating performance. Opening the night was Mei Semones and her band, introducing an indie jazz sound to the night, setting the stage for an amazing show!

I was beyond excited to see Mei Semones perform live with her band, and after having her music on loop over the last couple of months, it was something I was really looking forward to! The band lineup consisted of Noah Leong on Viola, Claudias Agrippa on Violin, Noam Tanzer on Bass, John Lisi on Drums, and Mei Semones herself on Vocals and Guitar.

One of the stand out moments for me was Noah Leong’s viola performance during “Inaka”, which added such an amazing and emotional layer to the song. Every musician on stage during that set had an amazing stage presence and brought an incredible level of talent making the performance feel special and grand. Mei Semones also played her most recently released single “Dumb Feeling” from her new album, along with some unreleased music! She then teased its release in May and ended off their set with her song “Kodoku”.

The lights went completely out, and suddenly, side strobe lights began flashing rapidly as each member of Hippo Campus slowly made their way on stage. The anticipation grew with every second until the moment they launched into their song “Madman” and the energy exploded. The crowd erupted in cheers as they set the tone for the night, their energy radiating onto the audience and vice versa.

Jake Luppen, the band’s lead singer, was killing it up there, keeping the energy high with his vocals and stage presence. Nathan Stocker on Lead Guitar added to the excitement, frequently stepping to the edge of the stage and shredding directly in front of the fans in the crowd. One of the greatest crowd interactions was whenever DeCarlo Jackson pulled out his trumpet and started hitting his notes, the crowd went feral, creating some memorable moments.

The Flood Tour highlighted their most recent album, Flood. The chemistry between the band members on stage and the band with the crowd was undeniable, the fans sang along to every note! However, the real peak of the night came when they played their massive hit, “Buttercup” the venue shook with excitement as the fans screamed along to every word!