Photos: Nothing can stop Diet Cig at The Lodge Room in Highland Park

Who: Diet Cig

Where: The Lodge Room in Highland Park, Calif

When: February 17, 2018

Lets make an obvious statement clear. Hitting the road and going on tour with your band can’t be easy. Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure it can be a truly unforgettable experience, but i’m also sure there are a mess of hardships that will come along the way. So when Diet Cig had to announce that their show in Santa Cruz during this early 2018 tour had to be cancelled due to an illness, no hard feelings were felt. Because of this I wasn’t sure if the band would be carrying out their scheduled show at The Lodge Room in Highland Park the very next day but I’m happy to say that rock n roll prevailed!

After electrifying sets from openers The Spook School and Great Grandpa, Diet Cig took to the stage as “Transatlanticism” by Death Cab For Cutie played over the speakers. One thing to know about Diet Cig is that they always include a message before their shows. It’s a message of inclusivity and acceptance of everyone into their world . “You all look like you’re having fun” Alex (Guitar, Vocals) said before beginning their set, “I’m so happy to see so many people standing so close to each other while respecting each other’s space.” It was this sort of vibe that carried itself through the entire show.

As the band ripped through their set, which included fan favorites such as “Barf Day”, “Sixteen” and “Maid of The Mist”, Alex leaped and twirled about the stage in her usual high energy fashion. A feat that I found astonishing despite the fact that she was still recovering from the strep throat that caused her to cancel the previous night’s performance.

But despite illness, Diet Cig STILL managed to pull off a great show. “This next song is about how rock and roll is for everyone! Go start a band. Go shine as you are. Don’t let anyone tell you not to shine. Dont make yourself smaller for anyone else”. These are the words Alex passionately shared with us before the band jumped into “Link in Bio”. A fiery track about knowing and accepting who you are and that the world is just going to have to accept it. A notion that explains itself the lyrics “I’m not being dramatic, I’ve just fucking had it with the things that you say that you think that I should be”

Over the past year that I have been following this band, Diet Cig have showed that they are absolutely a force to be reckoned with while still carrying the stigma of love, acceptance and good clean fun. 2017 brought us their debut LP Swear I’m Good At This and even though this album isn’t even a year old as I’m writing this, I’ll still be keeping my ear to the ground for new music in 2018.

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Post and photos by Hector Vergara

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