LIVE REVIEW: Surfaces at The Sylvee
by: Vicky Durachta and Mia Weisfeld
On November 18th, Surfaces performed at The Sylvee. Surfaces is an indie-pop band commonly described as “happy” and our collective music taste centers around R&B and electronica, which made going to this concert less appealing. Even prior to the concert, we only knew “Sunday Best”, a song that gained its popularity on TikTok in January 2020. As we walked into the venue, we prepared for a superficial performance.
Though after 20 minutes, our prediction failed us.
To our surprise, we thoroughly enjoyed the set. We were greeted with an energetic crowd and an even more energetic band on stage. Their passion and enthusiasm were contagious. All of the band members genuinely seemed thrilled to be performing and really wanted to connect with the crowd. The crowd wasn’t small either. College students, parents, and adults alike were all engaged—it was hard not to be. The band maintained the crowd's energy as the members danced around and ran across the stage. What made it even better was the call and response they did with the crowd, which excited the crowd even more. Their performance overall felt extremely warm and uplifting, leaving us with a newfound feeling of optimism.
There were a few standout songs that we especially enjoyed, one of which was “Learn to Fly”, a song that Surfaces co-wrote with Elton John. John is a long-standing pop legend and anyone who works with him is thoroughly blessed. The seamless combination of John’s expertise in the world of pop with Surfaces’ raw talent and cheerfulness made room for a great hit. The song is all about picking yourself back up when you're down and persevering through “all the highs and the lows''. Elton really fostered the early talent shown by Surfaces in making this song and the crowd response to it was overwhelmingly positive.
Surfaces also did a rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, which really set them apart. This cover allowed them to show the extent of their musical capabilities in that they took a classic song from a different genre and made it their own… and it was really good. Not only did it showcase their talent, but it also gave the audience members the ability to engage with the band, whether they were long-time listeners or strangers to their music. The singing swelled and everyone in the Sylvee vocalized in perfect harmony to this timeless hit. Everyone happily danced and sang along, and for those two minutes and thirty seconds, everyone got completely lost in the joyous moment.
Though we did miss the thumping bass of house music, we got everything we wanted and needed out of this experience. Surfaces allowed us to practice some gratitude and fully enjoy the moment. Not to mention, the performance was appealing to the eye with wonderful set props and ideal lighting. It was definitely a cohesive experience and Surfaces should be more well known for their ability to put on a lighthearted, memorable concert.