GALLERY: Tommy Lefroy
LOS ANGELES, CA | OCTOBER 10, 2023 | PHOTOS BY TESSA BANNISTER
This was my second time attending the iconic venue on the west end of Hollywood: The Troubadour. A timely building that housed the earlier shows of some very successful musicians such as Arctic Monkeys, Elton John, and Fiona Apple, just to list a few. On October 10, the venue became a memorable stop on the Le Trashfire tour – the first headlining tour by the indie pop duo named Tommy Lefroy, consisting of two friends by the names of Tessa Mouzourakis and Wynter Bethel.
Since unveiling their undeniable talent at the beginning of this year, the two have experienced some amazing milestones in their career thus far. I remember scrolling through their Spotify profile back in January, noticing they had an upcoming performance in my area. The duo had announced that they would be joining fellow indie singer-songwriter, Samia, on her North American tour. This tour was a vital catalyst for their ever-growing careers, and it reeled in a handful of fans. I unfortunately wasn’t able to go; but, since then, I made a mental note to add “seeing Tommy Lefroy live” to my bucketlist. Thankfully, I was able to get that box checked off sooner rather than later with this mid-October show in Los Angeles.
With the only luminescence being from the neon glow of the Troubadour sign, the girls made their way onto the stage with gleeful smiles on their faces. They were decked out in monochrome outfits of black, with Tessa wearing a simplistic tank and denim jeans, while Wynter wore a majestic flowy black dress. After the harmonic intro of “The Mess,” Tessa picked up a sleek black guitar to perform “Worst Case Kid.” It was a flawless flip of a switch, transitioning from an angelic acapella track to a heavier indie rock number. On the opposing side of the stage, Wynter began gliding across in rhythmic motions. It might sound cliché to say, but her presence immediately reminded me of Stevie Nicks. Long black dress aside, she also held a celestial tone while putting forth every ounce of energy into her movements and voice, similar to some impeccable performances by Nicks. Tessa remained on stage left, matching the passionate energy of the song, along with her bandmate.
The set remained pretty sonically upbeat up until the track titled “Mortals.” Both girls took a moment to talk about the making of the first EP while tuning their guitars, stating that the majority of it was made over FaceTime since they were long distance friends. The drummer that was accompanying them exited the stage during the next few songs, giving these tracks a more “stripped-down” feel. I noticed that the crowd was the loudest during both “Mortals” and “Vampires,” as both songs are about vulnerable states of mind. Right before “Mortals,” Wynter explained that the track is about how those who hurt you are just people too, expressing empathy for those who have done her wrong. During “Vampires,” the entire crowd screamed the lyric “LA is crazy!” during the first verse, resulting in smiles from both Tessa and Wynter.
Toward the tail end of the show, a cover of “Norman fucking Rockwell” by Lana Del Rey was performed. I stood at the barricade in genuine awe at how amazing this cover sounded; it complimented both of their voices so well, to the point where they could’ve fooled me that it was their original song. Both of their voices melted into each other’s like butter, soft and mellow like Lana’s. They continued on with their set with just three more songs, remembering to savor the moment by looking at each other to say; “We’re playing the Troubadour!”
REVIEW BY ALICIA URREA
