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benches Bring Hometown Heat to San Diego with Explosive Set: Live Review

San Diego's own benches, made up of Anson Kelley (vocals/guitar), Ethan Bowers (drums), Evan Ojeda (lead guitar), and Charlie Baird (bass), returned home for a high-octane show that felt more like a celebration than a performance. Joined by fellow locals Pleasure Pill, the night was a love letter to the city that raised them, and the crowd made sure they knew it.


From the moment benches took the stage and launched into "Kill The Lights" off their latest EP, the energy in the room was undeniable. Cheers erupted, fans surged forward, and the unmistakable buzz of long-time supporters filled the venue. Many in the audience were clearly friends and family of the band — a reminder that this was more than a gig; it was a homecoming, with one audience member even standing up on a chair shouting, "Let's go San Diego!!"


The lighting — a saturated blend of glaring green, hot pink, and deep red — flooded the stage in a surreal haze, casting long shadows and illuminating every movement with a cinematic intensity. It wrapped both the band and crowd in a kind of electric intimacy, mirroring the emotional weight carried in each song. During “LA Friends,” the connection between audience and artist was palpable — fans shouted every lyric with unwavering conviction, fingers stabbing the air in time with the lines: “It hurts when you're let down / That I’ve seen in your face / More fame and more clout / Our LA friends, those LA friends you know.” The energy swelled, the room vibrating with shared nostalgia and disillusionment.


Other standout tracks, “Naive,” “Orchid,” and “Modern Day New York”, painted a fuller picture of the band’s evolving sonic landscape. There was a tension between polish and grit, between vulnerability and defiance. Shimmering guitar lines cut through pulsing bass and echoing drums, while the vocals swayed between urgency and restraint. Each song felt like a snapshot of a band in motion — still grounded in the rawness that drew their earliest fans, but experimenting, stretching, reaching for something deeper.


Then came the fan-favorite stretch, and the night truly detonated. “Crash”, “Angry Lizard Noise”, and “Monodrama” were met with frenzied sing-alongs, but it was “Violent” that pushed the crowd into overdrive. As the band hit the first notes, the floor opened wide and a mosh pit erupted, unrelenting through the rest of the set. It was a peak moment of intense emotion— chaotic, yet cathartic, all at once. With the crowd loudly chanting the words " 'Cause our love is like sand / The future is unsettling / I’m putting the violent ways behind me."


After a dramatic exit, the band returned for a thunderous encore. “No, Thanks, Please” brought a final burst of unfiltered energy, while “Queen of Hearts” closed the night in glorious, heart-on-sleeve fashion. As the last chord faded and the house lights began to rise, the crowd was still buzzing — sweaty, breathless, and grinning from ear to ear.


benches is a band poised on the brink of a breakthrough, yet still deeply connected to their roots. If this night was any indication, their growth is unfolding with a quiet confidence and clear sense of direction. They’ve added a second leg to their tour, and tickets are now available.


View the full photo gallery here.


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