In March 2020, indie-rock band Eliza and the Delusionals’ tour with Silversun Pickups was brought to a sudden stop due to COVID-19.
Now the band is picking back up where it left off and is headlining a few of its own shows along the way.
“Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” said lead singer Eliza Klatt. “The last tour we did with them was some of our most memorable shows to date, so we just know it’s going to be such an incredible tour.”
While Klatt was excited to return to the tour with the band in major venues across the U.S., she’s equally excited for the smaller venues like Strummer’s Bar and Grill, where she performed with her band on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
“It’s a really cool thing we get to do. I feel like we get to experience both situations of being a support in larger theaters and headlining in more intimate venues. We kind of get the best of both worlds,” Klatt said.
Eliza and the Delusionals came to Fresno to promote its 12-track debut album, “Now and Then,” which it is bringing to the U.S. for the first time since its release during this tour. The news release for “Now and Then” describes the album as “the perfect soundtrack to the band’s coming-of-age period” by reflecting on the members’ youth and formative years.
Klatt said the album is full of songs with “good energy,” such as her favorites “Save Me” and “Halloween,” which were some of the standout performances of the night.
Despite the limits of Strummer’s smaller venue, the band used the space to its fullest, dancing across the stage that was adorned with a light blue projection of the band’s name as their backdrop.
“Save Me” has been one of the band’s most successful songs so far, accruing over 1 million combined streams worldwide and 30-plus editorial playlist spots, according to the band’s news release.
The song also marked the height of the set from Klatt and guitarist Kurt Skuse, guitarist Ashley “Tex” Martin and bassist Ruby Lee. Despite having traveled from Los Angeles after its previous set the night before at Orpheum with Silversun Pickups, the band kept the energy high for its headline performance.
“It’s not always easy, but lots of Dunkin Donuts, and I think general excitement, will keep us going. There’s always low points of fatigue and mental exhaustion, but we’ve been waiting almost three years to be able to come and do this across the U.S., so we’re definitely not taking a moment for granted,” Klatt said.
The Australian band was particularly excited to make its first visit to Fresno.
“We love visiting new places, especially in California, [and] Strummer’s looks like a really cool venue as well, so we can’t wait to visit,” Klatt said in a phone interview before the Fresno engagement. “We’ve heard a lot of good things. We’re always looking for fun things to do and good food places to visit, so we’re hoping to find some of that while we’re there!”
Klatt and the band made sure to thank the fans in attendance at their show and said they hope to make it back to Fresno in the future.
Eliza and the Delusionals will continue its tour through Nov. 18 with 22 more performances across the United States.
