Sir Sly ignite city with explosive set at The Fillmore

Photo Credit: Eliot Hazel

On tour with Kongos and Colony House while promoting their debut album You Haunt Me (2014), Sir Sly stopped by The Fillmore last Tuesday to perform before a packed crowd.

Initially shrouded in mystery, Sir Sly reached internet fame when their single “Ghost” reached No. 1 on Hype Machine back in 2013. Rumors swirled around that Sir Sly was a synth-pop offshoot of Foster the People. The veil was finally lifted, and Sir Sly was revealed to be Landon Jacobs (previously from The Royal Sons), Hayden Coplen, and Jason Suwito (formerly Polaris at Noon). Even though the rumors were dispelled, the hype had not. Their songs were shortly after featured in video game trailers and even a Cadillac commercial.

Colony House was up first, entering on stage amidst “American Woman” blaring in the background and pulsating stage lights. After some heavy rock beats and headbanging, they assured the crowd that they were in for a good night, saying that they’ve “seen the show like 30 times… and it’s good every time.” Between the high energy songs, one could tell that the band was having as much fun as the crowd, with water bottles — and even maracas — being thrown (playfully, of course) at each other.

Leading the crowd in a sing along, Sir Sly made an early appearance on stage to raucous applause. With a lot of guitar shredding and flashing lights, Colony House took their leave, but not before thanking San Francisco for coming out to the show and “technologically awesome things.”

Bathed in red light, Sir Sly fittingly opened their set with “Inferno”. This was followed by heavy surging synth beats and Jacobs’ falsetto that makes up “Ghost.”  This was in contrast with the more subdued “Too Far Gone” that was next. Jason Suwito showed off his musical chops as he switched from his customary keys to guitar. Looking out onto the crowd, we noticed even the older audience members were closing their eyes and getting lost in the music. Colony House returned to the stage again to aid with percussion for “Going Nowhere.”

Although the night’s performance lacked antics not uncommon for Jacobs, such as hanging off venue balconies, there still was an air of intensity throughout the set, especially with Jacobs putting all his energy into the performance. Clenching his fists, beating his chest, jumping all over the stage, and even climbing onto the drum set multiple times, Jacobs looked utterly exhausted and drenched in sweat as Sir Sly was set to perform the last song of the night. Yet despite this, the melodic vocals from Jacobs never wavered.

Finishing the night off with “Gold,” Sir Sly ended their energetic set and exited the stage. Judging from the accolades heard from the crowd afterwards, Sir Sly could easily blow up.

Article and Photography by Isaac Yi