The day after the release of their much anticipated sophomore album Hummingbird, Southern California’s Local Natives took to Fox Theater of Oakland. Local Natives are playing a handful of California & New York shows before departing on a European, tour then returning for a proper North American tour. Full tour dates are below.

Having seen Local Natives at the height of their Gorilla Manor live prowess, including a barn-burning main stage set at Sasquatch, it’s important to point out the fact that the band has essentially taken the past year and change off to write and record Hummingbird. They did unveil a few new tracks in Seattle with the National, who’s Aaron Dessner actually produced the Natives’ new album. And they revealed more tracks at this year’s CMJ Festival in New York. But on the whole, keep in mind that the band escaped the world touring to hunker down to compose the beautiful results of Hummingbird. 

In this regard, Wednesday’s show in Oakland felt like a unique treat, as we were watching the Local Natives begin the early stages of what will undoubtedly become a very well-oiled touring machine in the near future. The band noted this giddy glee as well, stating this was their first show in Oakland, their first real Hummingbird show away from LA and, apparently, one of the largest they had played (though I heard them say this same thing to a much larger Sasquatch 2011 crowd). So the nervous energy and new tour vibes gave us a fun and intimate glimpse of a band honing its new material live, ironically, in a theater of 3,000. There were no mistakes or mishaps as the band started strong with two Hummingbird tracks, including their instantly-recognized single “Breakers”. And by the time they dived into Gorilla Manor’s “Wide Eyes”, the crowd was all-in and the set took care of itself from there. Ultimately, the Hummingbird material seems more delicate, sensitive and somewhat softer than the youthful, raucous energy of Gorilla Manor. But they did an excellent job weaving a set list (see below) that balanced out the two.

It’s simply refreshing to watch a talented and hard-working band develop the nuances of bringing a new record to life. As they felt out how much lung to deliver into harmonies, how hard to concentrate on their new instrumental responsibilities versus how hard to rock, and how fans would receive the Hummingbird material, it was evident that both the Local Natives and Oakland enjoyed the experience.

You can stream/purchase Hummingbird on iTunes. And check out the video for single “Breakers“

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Local Natives setlist @ Oakland’s Fox Theater
1. You and I
2. Breakers
3. Wide Eyes
4. Heavy Feet
5. Ceilings
6. Camera Talk
7. Warning Sign
8. Black Spot
9. Colombia
10. World News
11. Airplanes
12. Bowery
13. Who Knows, Who Cares
14. Sun Hands

Local Natives Tour Dates