Supergrass Heat Up Hollywood

From the moment Supergrass took the stage the energy skyrocketed throughout the venue. Whether it was lead singer Gaz Coombes making his way to the edge of the stage while serenading the crowd or motioning the audience to clap along during their performance, U.K. band Supergrass had a spot-on set filled with non-stop intensity. The energy permeated from the stage into the crowd while practically all in attendance were dancing or singing along word for word.

On a day off from touring with the Foo Fighters, Supergrass played a 70-minute headlining show at Avalon Saturday night in Hollywood. Very eclectic, the crowd varied from parents and children to college students and older, die-hard fans who have been following the band throughout their 14 year tenure. Supergrass started out the night with a solid guitar riff leading into opening track "Diamond Hoo Ha Man" off album, Diamond Hoo Ha, released earlier this year. As the opening guitar riff began and the brightly lit backdrop emerged spelling Supergrass, the intensity rose and did not falter.

While most of the 18-song set included songs from their latest album, some older Supergrass favorites were played as well — one from their second album, In It for the Money and their encore performance of first single released as a band, "Caught by the Fuzz." While the older hits were often followed by screams of excitement from the crowd, most in attendance seemed familiar with the newer material just as well as the older classics.

The night was filled with catchy choruses and guitar riffs as well as solid instrumental accompaniment provided by drums, keyboards, tambourine and even a cowbell. "We love it here!" frontman Gaz Coombes told the crowd. "We've been going for quite a long time — 14 years or something. We love coming to the States; it's beautiful."

Many of Supergrass' songs have strong instrumental features either in the beginning or middle of each song, some reminiscent of almost electronic club-like mixes. "Rebel In You" started off slower than previous songs, but their catchy chorus throughout the song didn't stop the crowd from dancing along. As the night continued, fans in the audience screamed song requests as frontman Coombes jokingly yelled back, "I told you no requests or you'll have to be removed."

The energy from Supergrass' set didn't waver for a moment and neither did the audience's. With their catchy choruses and guitar riffs, Supergrass had the audience singing their songs long after the concert was over.

For more on Supergrass check out their MySpace and be sure to catch them on tour this summer with the Foo Fighters! Below is their fun music video for first single, "Diamond Hoo Ha Man" off of their latest album. Check back next week for my interview with bass player Mick Quinn!