A Night of Psych Rock in Portland: LA Witch, DAIISTAR & Sun Atoms Live Review
It had been almost a year since I last saw LA Witch, back when they played Mississippi Studios, a venue that lends itself to closeness, where every note feels shared between the band and the crowd. Seeing them now on a larger stage gave their sound more space to stretch out, expanding into something more cinematic without losing the hypnotic core that makes them so captivating.
Opening the night, Sun Atoms eased the room into a hazy trance. Their sound carried a distinctly 90s-leaning psychedelia-warm, textured, and drenched in atmosphere. As a Portland-based band, they felt right at home, effortlessly setting the tone for the night with a set that was equal parts dreamy and grounding.
DAIISTAR followed, and it was exciting to see them again, especially on a larger stage that allowed their sound to fully bloom. Their psych-shoegaze blend washed over the crowd in waves of distortion and light. Their set felt expansive and almost otherworldly, like being suspended in a slow-moving current of sound and light.
By the time LA Witch took the stage, the room felt primed and fully locked in. Touring behind their 2025 release DOGGOD, the band has stepped into an even more refined and commanding version of themselves. With more U.S. dates ahead including East Coast shows with The Black Angels.
Visually, the set was elevated by a retro, filmic light show that cast the band in grainy washes of color—deep reds, faded ambers, and shadowy blues flickering like an old reel of analog film. It added a nostalgic texture to the performance, perfectly mirroring their sound.
Frontwoman Sade Sanchez delivered her signature haunting vocals-soft yet piercing, drifting through layers of reverb and echo that seemed to hang in the air long after each phrase. Beside her, bassist Irita Pai swayed hypnotically, her movements as fluid as the basslines she laid down-steady, grounding, and deeply entrancing. Behind them, drummer Ellie English anchored the entire set with a minimalist but powerful presence.
What stood out most was how seamlessly LA Witch translated their sound from an intimate venue to a larger stage. Instead of losing that closeness, they expanded it, turning something once personal into something immersive and all-encompassing.
From start to finish, the night felt like slipping into another dimension, one built on distortion, mood, and movement. Each band added a layer, and by the end, LA Witch brought it all together into a performance that felt both deeply felt and sonically expansive. If you haven’t seen them live yet do yourself a favor and get out to one of their live shows.
See LA WITCH on tour!