Although their debut studio album Landmark released in 2017, Minnesota indie rock band Hippo Campus has been on the scene for almost a decade, performing under several different pseudonyms and versions. Coinciding with that bands’ 2024 album release Flood, Hippo Campus brought their energy to the iconic Troubadour in West Hollywood, playing the unreleased album in its entirety days before its official release— as well as several other songs from their albums, performing over 2 hours of music.
Flood proved to be an solid step in the right direction for the band, and translated well to the stage. Expansive and earnest, the album is full of solid indie hooks that are most present on songs like “Paranoid” and “Forget It” while leaving space for more mellow tunes like “Corduroy”. A solid progression for the band, Flood‘s debut live performance did not disappoint for the first-time listeners in the audience (or the second-time listeners… a copy of the album had been leaked several days before the released, which the band joked about onstage).
Co-Frontmen Jake Luppen (lead vocals, guitar) and Nathan Stocker (lead guitar, vocals) had a lot to say about the crowd’s nonstop energy, sharing their preference for these smaller/more intimate shows. Many times throughout their set, the crowd’s applause would swell for minutes on end, as the band could do nothing but stand back for a beat and smile in appreciation.
After they blazed through Flood, the band decided to bring back fans to their Landmark and Bambi days for the band’s encore, performing songs like “Bang Bang,” “Bubbles,” and “Violet”. In an unexpected second encore, the band allowed the crowd to vote for their final send-off, capping the night with a ultra-high energy version of “Buttercup.
The Troubadour might just have a little bit of magic inside those doors. Along with the legendary acts that began there and would go on to become phenoms and icons in the music world, the unique pit + wraparound terrace makes for a one-of-a-kind experience, coupled with its vintage and aged charm. Hippo Campus was able to tap into whatever magic the Troubadour contains to deliver an amazing show for their sold-out crowd.
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