Math rock bands Covet and LITE finished their West Coast Tour on Oct. 17 with an electrifying show at Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles. The two groups have been touring the West Coast together since Oct. 9. With the exception of a single day for travel, the two groups have performed every night, frazzling fans with their unique instrumental talents.
The concert began with opener Wylie Hopkins, a singer and songwriter from Boston, Massachusetts. Hopkin’s discography is covered in a dreamy tone, using his vocals and guitar to lure fans into a state of peace. Most of the songs in the set were from his “Desire Path” EP, which dropped earlier this year.
Along with these songs, Hopkins also performed “This Time Around,” a song he released in 2022 alongside his debut EP “On the Way Out.” Despite being from a different EP, Hopkins’ gentle aesthetic was ever-present, as he brought nostalgic energy to the stage. This was best represented by the final song of his set, “At the World’s End.” This song was a prime demonstration of Hopkins’ style, bringing a sense of reminiscence and conclusion as he ended his set in grace.
Following Hopkins was LITE, a math rock band from Japan. The group immediately brought an aggressive energy to the room. From their first notes, the tone shift was clear, with the audience switching from calm to energized in seconds.
LITE is a rare guitar instrumental band. Instead of infatuating fans with lyrics, they bring the house down with their instruments alone. Formed in 2003, LITE has established themselves as a top Japanese instrumental band with several albums under their belt.
On stage they played both newer songs, such as“The Beyond,” and tapped into older pieces like “Ghost Dance,” which released in 2008. Despite the disparity in release dates, both songs exhilarated the audience, with guitars and drums working in astonishing chemistry to create an electric atmosphere.
LITE took a short break from their energy-filled discography when they brought out Yvette Young from Covet to perform “SUNSET.” The track was a tonal departure from the rest of their set, where they leaned more into Young’s playing style. Sharing the stage highlighted LITE’s technical talent while giving the crowd a taste of what was to come from Young later that night.
Soon after, however, LITE jumped right back into their signature aggressive style, with songs like “bond” showcasing how they can turn a single set of rhythms into a full-length piece with a breakneck pace.
Finally, LITE closed out their set with “Infinite Mirror,” a song from 2008 that, despite its age, is still their most popular song, having 2.8 million plays on Spotify. As the band finished the song in synchrony, they were met by a wave of cheers and claps of appreciation.
After LITE came Covet as the final group of the night. Formed in San Jose, California in 2014, Covet features Yvette Young, whose stunning ability with the guitar brought them to popularity. Before beginning their first song, the group was already met with cheers and excitement, and it only expanded when they brought out violinist Mia Asano, who joined the band of three to play “odessa.”
The discography of Covet was decisively calmer than that of LITE, but this didn’t stop them from putting the same amount of energy into their performance. They proceeded to play six songs nonstop, with the songs coming from their newest album “catharsis,” which released in 2023. Through their mix of more peaceful musicality and energetic instrument playing, Covet enamored the audience, bringing them to a state of catharsis.
Their performance was breathtaking, but they also had fun with the audience in between songs. Young, in particular, got a fan to call their mother and pass the phone to Young, creating a comedic on-stage moment. The concert continued with Covet performing their older songs, including “parachute” from 2020 and “shibuya” from 2018. “shibuya” is Covet’s most popular song, hailing from their most popular album, “effloresce,” released in 2018. So it was no surprise that people were rushing to the front of the crowd to see them perform this song, ramping up the performance’s energy.
Covet closed out the night by performing their newest song “denouement.”. Before performing the song, Young defined denouement as the “final part of the story” and when “everything works out.” And fittingly enough, the song was an incredible denouement to an exhilarating night of music.