Eli Smart is Quietly Making His Way to the Top
chicago, august 3rd 2023
After a little less than a month on tour with Declan McKenna, Hawaii-native Eli Smart finished his North American opening run, charming a packed Bottom Lounge with a vibrant and high-spirited final set.
Going to Lollapalooza aftershows while also attending the festival is a decision I make every single year and regret every single time once I’m already on my way to a show. Everything hurts, I’m usually running on no food, no sleep, with barely any will to live. However, there’s always a part of me that knows the momentary pain will be worth it – and showing up for Eli’s last show with Declan was not the exception.
With a presence (and hair!) that reminded me of Dominic Fike, one of my personal favorites, the UK-based artist won the crowd over in about a quarter of a song. Splitting his time between Kaua’i and London, it makes sense that he turned out to be some sort of perfect combination of those two very different energies, delivering his soothing, lively songs with a confident but still down-to-earth charisma. To be fair, I wasn’t super familiar with his music by then, and probably most of the people there that night weren’t either, but I’m pretty sure we all left the venue ready to hyper fixate on Eli’s beachy, feel-good tunes.
His band was a wonder of its own: Denise Kaufman, Eli’s grandmother, plays on tour with him as his bassist. That sole fact created a warm ambience that made everyone
feel like they were welcome at the show. Even the way he introduced her and the rest of the band was heartwarming and a subtle reminder of how we can still be and do whatever we want at any point in our lives (that’s how it felt for me at least, but that might’ve just been my perception as I enter my own quarter-life crisis! <3).
With it being his last night as Declan McKenna’s supporting act, he also got the chance to bring him on stage (making the audience absolutely lose their minds) for one last performance together – and also later on he came out during Declan’s set, allowing the fans to appreciate a little bit of the friendly dynamic and partnership the two have built.
I must say that I’m always going to root for the opener; they made it on tour for a reason, they’re (usually) extremely talented and just underrated, but I do mean it when I say that Eli might as well just be the next big thing. The boy has the type of aura and individuality that just makes you want to see him thrive, and that probably will allow him to thrive. I’m excited to see where this high takes him next, and what direction he might take musically as he quietly makes his way to the top.
Eli Smart’s newest single Fiesta 99.9M is out now.
