In a swelteringly hot venue, Durand Jones and the Indications showed us all how to stay cool
It’s been a pretty quick rise to the top for Durand Jones and the Indications. After originally forming in Bloomington, Indiana, the group was viewed as a sort of side project for many of the members. The future of the band was in question until their music got into the hands (and ears) of old-school soul fans around the country. Now just a handful of years later, the Indications are making their way across the U.S. on their own headlining tour playing high energy shows to sold out crowds. And it was no different when they took the main stage at Soma in San Diego.
New York’s 79.5 was first up for the night. The group was led by two members who were also touring members of The Indications. While I figured beforehand they would be a soul act, they surprised me by pulling from a wide array of genres such as R&B, funk, and disco. After an extremely solid set, the crowd waited patiently in what definitely was 150 degree heat for about 45 minutes before it was time to get our collective groove on.
Before I knew it there were eight bodies on stage and the exuberant joy of the song Don’t You Know was filling the room. The room full of seemingly die hard Indications fans sang every word and went absolutely nuts when recent singles like Witchoo, Love Will Work it Out and The Way That I Do were performed.
As tracks went by, I forgot just how many songs have major contributions from both of the main vocalists. The powerful and soulful voice of Durand Jones was complemented perfectly by Aaron Frazier’s soft and dreamy falsetto.
After an hour on stage and multiple costume changes, the band left then came back to perform a three song encore including a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”.
The set overall covered their whole discography but consisted mostly of the old school Chicago soul sounds of “American Love Call” and the smooth and disco inspired sounds of their most recent release “Private Space.”