If you want a good time, go to a STRFKR show. As a true embodiment of the beauty of live shows, you never know what you’ll get.

STRFKR is a groovy, psychedelic, electronic-indie band from Portland, Oregon, formed by lead singer Joshua Hodges in 2007. This band has stood the test of time, demonstrated by their current 2024 US tour, where more than half the shows have sold out. Their most recent album, Parallel Realms, was released this past March and already has multiple songs with over 1 million streams on Spotify.

The music is groovy as-is, but STRFKR’s live show is a different experience. Right off the bat, the crowd was greeted by two dancers who set the mood by dressing in shimmering gold cloaks and opaque mirrored masks. Starting with the unmistakable hit “While I’m Alive,” Hodges stepped behind his keyboard wearing nothing flashy except a large pair of Elton John-style circle sunglasses rimmed with crystals. On the first note, the dancers got to it in a seemingly quasi-choreographed performance. Jumping, twirling, flowing their bodies like seaweed, they got the room in the mood to move. I was instantly thrilled, but little did we know what the dancers had planned.

At the end of the first song, the crowd was happily showered by the first round of rainbow confetti. It would be another 10-15 times that we would be doused by confetti throughout the show, and each time was equally as enjoyable and surprising as the next.

STRFKR played a beautiful selection of older hits and new favorites from the newly released album. Cheers erupted with every song, but it was clear that everyone was especially pleased to hear ones like “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second” and “Khalil Gibran.” A favorite, “Golden Light,” came at a slower point in the evening, turning the room into an emotional swaying symphony of people. Each song welcomed the next, and altogether, the music of the night was a perfect masterpiece.

The real stars of the show were the dancers. After being golden-cloaked figures, they transformed into several other creatures. They entertained not only the audience but the band as well, moving along from one band member to the next to offer their mystical moves. By the time they became astronauts, they’d fully changed the room’s atmosphere to a circus. One, in particular, showed off their skill by crowd surfing into a perfect split, gliding over the crowd with complete ease. Shortly after, another crowd surfed through the room and pointed towards the balcony. The floor delivered, transporting the astronaut to the edge of the room and raising them to grab onto the hand of a fan standing on the balcony above. The balcony audience hoisted as the floor pushed, and the astronaut successfully made it to the top and climbed over the railing. Even the 9:30 Club bartenders were watching in awe.

It’s almost impossible not to smile, laugh, and move your body at a STRFKR show. With the wonderful synthy music, you are already transported somewhere else. Add in the psychedelic visuals projected behind the band, a show of lights, recurring confetti, an inflatable tube man, and a myriad of characters dancing on stage, and you will find yourself euphoric the entire time.

Listen to Parallel Realms, out now on Polyvinyl Records, and see more photos from the show below.