The jittery line of fans wrapped around the corner of Fourth and Elm St. awaiting Long Beach natives The Moderates to perform a sold-out show at Fingerprints on Friday.
It’s been just over a year since the alternative, indie-rock trio debuted their independently released EP “Colour.”
The Moderates performed songs from “Colour” at the popular, local record store and debuted a new track to fans for an exclusive listen to the direction of their next album.
As blue lights flashed on stage, lead singer and guitarist Josh Taylor sweetly sang emotionally-charged lyrics about relationships and identity. Throughout the show, audience cheered and expressed their enthusiasm by dancing and singing along.
Katie Smithey, an undeclared sophomore at California State University, Long Beach, was waiting first in line outside of the record-store venue. Smithey said she that this would be her first time watching the Moderates live, and she has been a fan since meeting Wes Mathison, the bassist and back-up vocalist.
“It was really exciting … we were all having a lot of fun and screaming,” she said. “My favorite song is “Strange Town” because it’s super catchy and it makes me dance and sing along.”
Saby Ramirez, a CSULB sophomore theater major, was another fan waiting, and said she was excited to come to the show to support her friend Mathison as well as the rest of the band. Ramirez said she plans to be a loyal fan.
“I really like their lyrics,” she said. “I think they carry a lot more meaning than a lot of mainstream songs … it was really fun and they have so many catchy songs.”
Both Mathison and Taylor are students at CSULB. Mathison is a junior communications major, and Taylor is in his sophomore year studying film.
“I think pursuing [our] dream is always the most important thing,” Taylor said. “If our band comes to the place where we’re forced to be on the road a lot and forced to focus more on music, then I think we would put schooling on hold.”
Drummer Garret Huff majored in music business and graduated from Musicians Institute in Hollywood in 2014. He said the bands’ strategy for success is to continue doing social media and having great content, photos and videos for their fans.
“We’re trying to expand as much as we can and do and be the best that we can possibly be,” Huff said. “We’re going to keep on playing shows and working hard at what we love to do—that’s a promise.”
Since the release of the EP, Taylor said that they have focused on cultivating a fan base in Long Beach and California. With up to 10,400 followers on Instagram, the front man noted that their fan base has exceptionally expanded since the beginning of “Colour.”
The Moderates just finished up another local tour. One of Taylor’s favorite shows was at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in San Diego where the band opened for REO Speedwagon.
For Mathison, being able to sell out Fingerprints, in his hometown, is a success.
Huff said the band definitely wants to make this a career. “We love doing it,” he said, referencing the creative process and his excitement on writing fresh material to share with the world. “It’s our passion.”
As a part of taking things to the next level, The Moderates have been making moves to improve live shows by incorporating a light show, which consists of bright LED boxes.
“We’ve definitely improved as a band instrumentally and collectively,” Huff said. “Together, we’re a lot tighter … everything has improved.”