Hyperpop heroes 100 gecs are coming back home to St. Louis with a show at The Pageant this Saturday, April 15, with Machine Girl opening. This tour comes on the heels of their sophomore album, 10,000 gecs, which released in mid-March to much acclaim, earning Best New Music acclaim from Pitchfork.
Dylan Brady and Laura Les, the duo behind 100 gecs, have seen great success as pioneers of the ever-evolving hyperpop genre, experimenting with genres such as nu metal, emo, and ska on their latest record. The upcoming Pageant show will be 100 gecs’ third time back in their shared hometown (Brady and Les are originally from Kirkwood and Webster Groves, respectively), and they’ve continued to develop their live act during their time away.
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“It feels great coming back,” Brady says. “I’ve always come to The Pageant for shows, so it feels great to sell it out.”
100 gecs’ first St. Louis show was their sold-out “Gec the Halls” Christmas show at The Ready Room in 2019, complete with a Christmas tree on stage. But those were early days, and Les notes that they’ve continued to up their game with their current tour.
“We have way crazier lights now, but no tree,” Les jokes. “But what we sacrifice for the tree, we make up for in industrial-strength blinding lights.”
The pair is known for kinetic, high-energy performances, and that’s exactly what fans can expect from Saturday’s show. “Lots of smoke, lots of lights, lots of sweat, and hopefully no blood,” Les says, “but you never know.” Alongside the antics on stage, 100 gecs also brings out a passionate fan base, some of whom have gone viral doing things like filming the shows on Nintendo DS systems or old flip phones, for reasons even the band doesn’t entirely understand. “It keeps it interesting seeing all of the different shit people bring,” says Les.
Beyond the show, Les and Brady plan to take in their hometown favorites and spend some time catching up with family. It’s a rare opportunity these days, as the band continues to succeed and grow.
Returning to St. Louis, they say, can feel like a bit of hyperpop homecoming. “It feels like such a cornerstone-type thing that we get to play The Pageant when we come back into town,” says Les. “It feels nice to be coming back to open arms.”
100 gecs will play The Pageant on April 15 at 8 p.m. The show is sold out, but resale tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
