Cigarettes After Sex put on a beautifully aesthetic performance at The Anthem last weekend, and the band left the crowd in awe. 

Three-piece indie band from El Paso, Texas, is on their 2023 North American Tour, which started in early August and will run through mid-October. The band has two studio albums and numerous EPs, all of which account for their fame. Their rise to stardom took place largely on YouTube in the late 2010s, but they’ve been steadily gaining momentum and popularity; even within the past year, they’ve managed to move up from playing a 1,200 person venue, to selling out two nights at The Anthem with a 6,000 person capacity.

Its not shocking though, as the lead singer’s smooth voice and the melodic notes from synth and keyboards effortlessly put listeners in beautiful trances. Listening to Cigarettes After Sex is like floating in a cloud. 

Stream top tracks by Cigarettes After Sex on Spotify.

At The Anthem on Sept. 9, the band’s set was full of dazzling lights and fog machines setting the dream-like mood. With lead-singer Greg Gonzalez in the middle under the spot light, Randall Miller on the bass on the right, and Jacob Tomsky on the drums on the left, the trio led the crowd in alluring chorus throughout the duration of the show. 

Though I’ve seen the band play before, it’s always striking how smooth and velvety Gonzalez’s voice is. It’s just as angelic live as it in the professionally recorded tracks, and it’s remarkable to hear live. 

Cigarettes After Sex released their debut self-titled full-length album in 2017 via Partisan Records, and they returned to the studio to publish their sophomore full-length, Cry, in 2019. Although we don’t yet have another album, perhaps one is in the offing, as they have released a single, Pistol, which they did not perform at The Anthem.

But the band return to The Anthem next Sunday — Sept. 17 — to play another sold-out show here in DC before continuing on their tour. 

Setlist:

1. Crush
2. You’re All I Want
3. Neon Moon (Brooks & Dunn cover)
4. Touch
5. Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby
6. John Wayne
7. Bubblegum
8. Cry
9. Sweet
10. Sunsetz
11. Heavenly
12. K.
13. Dreaming of You
14. Apocalypse
15. Opera House

Here are some photos of Cigarettes After Sex performing at The Anthem on Sept. 9, 2023. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Katie Child.