Fiji Blue fills LA’s El Rey Theatre for heartfelt hometown show

Fiji Blue, with opening act Crying City, opened their North American Glide Tour at a packed house in the heart of Los Angeles — live at the El Rey Theatre. Frontman Trevor Dering, who’s lived in LA six years now, expressed how he’s been looking forward to this hometown show for awhile now. From having a brand new debut album Glide coming out December 13th this year to, unfortunately, experiencing some tough times in his personal life, being surrounded by his family and friends made this show a very special night. 

As a big music fan, who is always discovering artists from either watching films, getting recommendations from friends, or scanning Spotify, I was very excited to see Fiji Blue live. I had only come across them just last year by watching a romantic drama film called After We Fell, which happened to feature their hit song “It Takes Two” on the soundtrack. A duo of Dering and music producer Valentin Fritz, their music moves me and it brightens me up when I’m feeling lost or feeling down. It takes me to a peaceful place and I can’t get enough.

Other than that, I was going into their show blind and came out blown away. 

When it was time for Fiji Blue to hit the stage, hundreds of fans were crammed together from front to back, balconies full of smiles on faces. As the lights dimmed and the giant red curtain at the front of the stage opened up, Dering appeared from the back of the stage holding a white electric guitar. Songs like “Start Over”, the band’s latest single, opened the set alongside “Peppermint” (a song about a relationship’s effortless, never-ending love and connection) and “Day by Day”. As Trevor took a pause, he told the crowd that he’s so thankful for his band, family, and that the night would be filled with lots of dancing, tears, and happiness.

Mid-show, I was very excited to hear a John Mayer cover of “I Don’t Trust Myself”, because not only am I a huge fan, but I he was playing it on the same PRS Silver Sky electric guitar as Mayer — which was only fitting. The song got the crowd swaying to the beat and singing along. Other songs like “Outside”, “Affection” (about the importance of being loved and that everyone could use a little affection in their life), and “Angel” were next. Continuing the set with a song called “Catapiller”, Dering pulled out a harmonica and acoustic guitar, telling the crowd that it is a very difficult song to talk about. His wife Natasha was diagnosed with a brain tumor and recently had surgery to remove it. He talked about how he wouldn’t exist without her and that she is the brightest person he knows. Next up was a slew of very vibey upbeat pop songs, including “Only When I Look into Your Eyes” and “Butterflies”.

Towards the end of the night, more new music was performed from the upcoming album. “Pink” and “June” are odes to his future daughter, as well as a message to his wife going through a tough time. Lastly, for the encore, “Beautiful” was sung (which Dering shared he performed at his wedding).

From the balcony tops, you could hear his wife scream out that she loves him.

Adding to the overwhelming sense of love, Trevor then acknowledged his parent’s 20th anniversary and that this will be a night he will forever remember. “It Takes Two” was the last song on the list — currently one of his most listened to songs yet. I can tell you that after this show, I went home and added a lot more Fiji Blue songs to my everyday playlist!

Photography by Mikayla Ragovin

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