Rattigan belts his heart out to the crowd. **Photo by Dylan Ryu**

The band Current Joys, led by singer Nick Rattigan—also the frontman of TikTok sensation Surf Curse—kicked off their West Coast tour on Oct. 18 at August Hall in downtown San Francisco.

The sold-out show began at 8:30 p.m., with doors opening an hour prior for those hoping to secure barricade spots. Entry required an ID check for anyone planning to use bar services. Although tickets were technically available at the door, they had all been claimed well before any act took the stage.

Lala Lala, the solo indie rock project of Lillie West, opened for Current Joys with an hour-long set of self-described “haunted spa music.” A personal friend of frontman Rattigan, West debuted unpublished songs from an album set to release next month, sending the crowd into a frenzy that carried seamlessly into the headliner.

Blending introspective songwriting with atmospheric, guitar-driven lo-fi intimacy, West captivated the audience. With low lights, a singular instrument and layered experimental pop backing tracks, her music evoked a sound reminiscent of Lorde, or Grimes—if the tempo were cut in half.

West took time to speak to her crowd, acknowledging cities called out as places she had visited—a memorable gesture that fostered the kind of intimacy often lost in the mass crowds and inevitable disconnect of stadium concerts.

In most stadiums, your experience is dictated by your dime; at this show, it was dictated by your passion.

Current Joys took the stage soon after, opening with “Ghosts” from their “B-Sides, Rarities and Demos” album. Slow guitar chords and a heavy bassline reverberated through the venue, throwing the audience into a more physical, immersive rhythm.

Rattigan, in signature fashion, didn’t shy away from pouring raw emotion into the mic, singing “I’ve been seeing ghosts / All my life” loud enough to drown out the instruments momentarily.

There’s something therapeutic about watching a grown man scream into a mic, so that someone might listen to what he’s saying. If you’ve ever felt like you just needed a witness, this band is listening.

And that empathy carried through the set as Current Joys kept the crowd alive with a masterful stitching of troubled lyricism in “Naked” and fast-paced drum beats, building slowly toward a climax that never came.Somehow, that tension felt like the point.

The crowd must’ve felt it too—right then, I somehow ended up with a front-row seat to a small confrontation in the pit. They broke it up quickly enough to dodge security, but for a moment, it felt like two shows for the price of one.

Rattigan took a break in the set at this point to introduce himself, thanking the crowd for coming out despite his three-year hiatus from touring—a break he poetically attributed to being “busy doing stuff.”

Concertgoers push against the barricade as Rattigan performs the chorus of “Ghosts.” **Photo by Dylan Ryu**

The man’s a philosopher.

But he’s not the only one. Songs like “Legends” and “Breaking the Waves” gave the guitarist and drummer moments to shine, their solos cutting through the room with precision. They built you up through familiar rhythms, only to pull you into a physical movement that was impossible to resist, even with the devastation behind every word.

I started in the thick of the crowd, dancing and swaying along, but moving back offered a new perspective—one just as alive.

If you’re not inclined to be enclosed within the crowd, the audio and visuals hold up just as well from the back of the room. The further you go, the more relaxed the atmosphere becomes—and the better the airflow. There’s even ample air conditioning along the sides if you need to catch your breath.

This is also a reminder to enjoy the concert safely. Smoking isn’t allowed inside August Hall, yet the plumes of vapor rising above the crowd made its presence hard to miss. If you’re asthmatic or sensitive to smoke or vapor, I wouldn’t recommend attending a show here.

The band held the crowd rapt, keeping the momentum alive through their performance of “Symphonia IX,” a Grimes cover the band has played to consistent excitement across multiple venues.

Rattigan noted with a laugh that most people—including his bandmate Claire—had no idea it was a cover at all.

Me either, Claire.

“Symphonia IX” kicked off a portion of the concert I’ve aptly dubbed the Breakup Ballads—the part of the night where hard clashes, steady drumbeats, aquatic rhythms and prosaic devastation all collided in songs like “Rebecca,” “Fear” and “Close the Door.”

“Fear,” in particular, revisits the same feeling stirred by the opening track, amplifying them through a haze of echoed confusion. Singing, “But I don’t want to be afraid / I don’t want to live this way,” Rattigan connects to his viewers in a way that mirrors West’s actions. He’s not performing—he’s speaking directly to you.

My Current Joys experience ended with their iconic performance of “A Different Age” from the album of the same name, generating an infectious energy from the crowd that was captivating in its own right. Rattigan’s lyricism, with lines like “you don’t know me because I’m from a different age,” resonated with me personally, reflecting the experience of growing up in the 21st century—and judging by the crowd’s energy, many others felt the same.

I was sad to leave, but lighter for having been there. Current Joys is a band built on connection, and Rattigan writes music that speaks to the weary soul.

The Logistics

Ticket prices vary, but according to the current calendar of events at the venue, most start at around $30, not including processing fees.

For those interested in merchandise—myself included—a small table near the entrance offered a selection of clothing, accessories, vinyl and other items, with prices ranging from $15 to $50.

The car ride from Santa Clara University to August Hall takes about an hour, give or take. For anyone nervous about driving in the city, most of the trip is along the 101 Expressway, with only the final few minutes on city streets.

There are dozens of parking garages in the area. We chose the Mason O’Farrell Garage, just a three-minute walk from the venue, and one of the more affordable options at $21.45 for a 6:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m. reservation. The 490 Post Valet Garage is slightly closer but comes at nearly double the price.

An Uber or other ridesharing service charges around $85 at minimum, with prices increasing in real time based on the traffic in the area—which is usually heavy—so be aware.

If you choose to take the train, the Powell Street BART station is a short walk from the venue. Most likely, you would need to take VTA transit to the Berryessa/North San Jose Station and then connect to the Powell Street BART. The BART trip costs only about $10 one way.

If you want to catch Current Joys live, they’ll be back in California on Oct. 27 and 28, in San Diego and Los Angeles, respectively. In true journalistic fashion, I’ll leave you with this parting lyric:

“If you’ve got nothing more to say, baby. Close the door.”