Giana Froio
Staff Writer
A crowd of nearly 700 people gathered at the Glass House in Pomona Friday night to experience the Deja Vu Tour.
The headlining band was The Mission, an English gothic post-punk band. Formally known as Sisterhood, the band was formed by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams in 1986. The line outside the will call section extended to the end of the block while music from the opening band could be heard from across the street.
Theater of Hate, a fellow English gothic rock band, formed in 1980, opened the show to a lively audience. Blue and red lights illuminated the four men onstage. The flash of the lights created a delicate purple haze that opposed the energetic saxophone playing by John Lennard, causing an uproar in the crowd. They stomped and clapped along to the deep bass playing by Stan Stammers.
“I never thought I would actually get to see them play,” Kayden Collet, a long-time fan who listened to Theater of Hate with her parents growing up, said.
After their initial split in 1983, the band reunited in 1991 with a few new members.
According to concertarchives.org, they have played 76 shows since their latest album release in 2016.
“I cannot tell you how excited I was when I saw that they were playing here,” Collet said.
The Glass House is one of Collet’s favorite venues. A lifelong punk fan, she has seen many shows at the venue, four of which have been in the last three months.
“If you are ever looking for me, I’m probably here,” she said.
Around 9 p.m. screams erupted from the audience as The Chameleons, an atmospheric pop band from Manchester, climbed the stage. The crowd swayed in unison to the psychedelic sounds. Multicolor lights reflected off the disco ball creating red, blue and green circles that spun around the room.
Karina Hernandez is a new fan of The Chameleons. First introduced to their music by partner Rene Delaqueva, she was eager to see the performance.
“Music lifts the spirits, and brings out emotions that you cannot express in words,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez often uses music to express herself and as a release from everyday hardships.
“Sometimes you hear the music and you can’t express what you’re feeling but the music brings it out,” she said.
The crowd doubled in size by the time The Mission took the stage.
They began their set with “Beyond the Pale,” the opening track on their 1987 album “Children.” White and blue lights flashed onto the crowd in sync with the beat of the drums. As they entered the set’s fourth song, the crowd sang the chorus to “Serervina” after hearing the only first note, prompting lead singer Wayne Hussey to comment on their eagerness.
“The Mission has heavily influenced my taste in music,” Lucy Jordan, a senior studio art major at the University of La Verne, said. She was accompanied by her parents.
“They’re what got me into punk music in the first place,” she said.
Jordan’s parents were punk fans long before they had children and have shared their music with their kids since they were newborns. The family frequently goes to concerts together as a way to bond.
“If you’re young or old, it’s all about the energy,” Delaqueva said.
The crowd spanned across generations. Parents were dancing with their children, and young adults were singing to their grandparents until The Mission played their last song at 11:10 p.m., thanking the crowd for a great show.
Giana Froio can be reached at giana.froio@laverne.edu.
