Equal parts, ethereal and energetic, Little Dragon began carving out their unique niche in the Venn diagram of synth-pop and R&B in 2007. Along the way, singer Yukimi Nagano became a hot-ticket collaborator, contributing her serene vocals to tracks by Gorillaz, Big Boi, DJ Shadow, BADBADNOTGOOD, Mac Miller, Flume, De La Soul, and many more. They’ve done it all and traveled the world, and yet they continue to push their sound in new directions with their latest album, Slugs of Love.

Their previous album, New Me, Same Us, had unfortunate release timing (coming out on March 27, 2020, just as lockdowns across the country and world were getting started), but now that they’re back on track, they continue to wow sold-out crowd after sold-out crowd, including 9:30 Club in DC.

Nagano took the stage in a glowing mesh body veil, hiding her trademark tambourine paddle and fringe-filled dress underneath until the second song of the set. The show changed gears multiple times throughout the set, swinging from the slow-burning R&B of “High” to the four-on-the-floor dance stylings of newer tracks “Lover Chanting” and “Disco Dangerous.”

The band talked about their love for the 9:30 Club and even Rock Creek Park, but nothing made this DMV crowd happier than to see Little Dragon invite the opening band and DC area locals April + VISTA onto the stage. They performed “Slumber,” one of the tracks from their recently released collaborative EP, Slipping Into Color. The Prince George’s County duo are a perfect complement to Little Dragon, employing haunting production, violins, and vocals for their take on electro-R&B.

Closing out the main set was a fan favorite, a cover of SBTRKT’s “Wildfire” (of which Nagano provided the vocals on the original). The encore featured a medley of Ritual Union, Machine Dreams, and self-titled LP tracks “Summertearz,” “Feather,” and “Constant Surprises.” Touching upon all of the eras of Little Dragon throughout the night, they showcased their staying power and proved with their newest songs that they’re not ready to rest on their laurels just yet.

Openers April + VISTA released their most recent album, Pit of My Dreams, in 2021, and their collaborative EP with Little Dragon was released in September 2023 via Ninja Tune. See photos from their explosive set below.

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