St. Lucia, Now Now

Jean-Philip Grobler’s synth-fueled stylings are a pure burst of soaring sonic adrenaline, harking back to the best and most unbridled sounds of the Me Decade. Put it this way: We’ll elevate with he and band-spouse Patti Beranek any time. Opener Now, Now, a Minnesota emo-pop duo, channels the fuzzy sound of the following decade, having downsized to their two original members and refined their rootsy formula with ear-friendly hooks (and catchy, acronym-heavy song titles).

press release: Doors 7:00pm | Show 8:00pm

Tickets available at BarrymoreLive.com, by phone at 806-241-8633, and all Barrymore Outlets. (Advance) General Admission: $26.50; (Day Of Show) $30.00

VIP Packages available via CID Entertainment

Produced by FPC Live

Under the name St. Lucia, Jean-Philip Grobler crafts the kind of high-energy, artful pop that tugs at the heartstrings as it pulls you onto the dance floor. In four short years, he’s amassed a lifetime of highlights: signing with Columbia Records; selling out multiple nights at Terminal 5 in his adopted hometown of NYC; performing at major festivals from Lollapalooza to the main stage at Coachella; touring with stars like Ellie Goulding and Two Door Cinema Club; landing his songs in national campaigns from Victoria’s Secret to Taco Bell; producing the debut LP for friends and label-mates HAERTS; and collaborating on remixes for peers like Passion Pit, Charli XCX, and Foster The People.

The seeds of St. Lucia’s sound lay in the years after Grobler left South Africa, first moving to Liverpool, where he spent three years at music school and met Patti Beranek, who would become his best friend, his sounding board, his collaborator, and ultimately, his wife. St. Lucia live band members include Ross Clark, Nick Paul, Dustin Kaufman, and Patti Beranek.

Though synth-pop has been an easy and reductive label used to categorize St. Lucia, most of the songs on Matter feature as much electric guitar, explosive percussion and complex brass arrangements as synthesizers. Nearly every track on the album contains horns and multi-part vocal arrangements, their sophistication reflective of Grobler’s lifetime of music study. But there’s nothing academic about a St. Lucia concert. Grobler and his cohorts are first and foremost a live band, with their reputation for dazzling, immersive shows fueling their rapid growth and status as global festival favorites.

That said, the days of word-of-mouth growth and being able to introduce your friends to the music of St. Lucia for the first time appear to be numbered, as Grobler prepares to hit the biggest stages of his career with his best album to date. He may have been a part of history as a child, but now Grobler’s all grown up and ready to write his own. Don’t miss out on St. Lucia’s performance on Thursday, October 4 at the Barrymore Theatre.