The Garden took over the Loading Dock in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 12 with their newest album “Kiss My Superbowl Ring” and signature “Vada Vada” sound.

Let’s Do the Vada Vada!

Goblins, jesters and twin brothers could only mean one thing — The Garden has arrived in Salt Lake City after months of anticipation. The duo, composed of twin brothers Fletcher and Wyatt Shears from Orange County, California, have been making music since 2011 and have visited Salt Lake City on multiple occasions. 

Although this is not “The Shining,” the Shears twins are known for their spooky theatrics, campy music videos and signature sound, all known as “vada vada.” “’Vada vada’ is kind of a made-up universe that we’ve created,” said the duo in a documentary for Dazed. “Everything that we do comes out of ‘vada vada.'”

The “vada vada” sound is iconic for riding the line between doom surf and garage rock and for its extremely upbeat tempo, inspired by a short song clip of the same name released by the group in 2013. “I think that’s ‘vada vada,’ a creature in its habitat doing its own thing,” Fletcher said.

Collaborating in Style

Doing one’s own thing is a mantra for The Garden, as the group is composed exclusively of the brothers on bass and drums. Preferring the exclusivity of creating music as a duo, the two are able to develop their unique, kitschy sound through their use of electronic keyboard effects, custom distortion and identical voices. ​​“Fletcher and I were born eight minutes apart from each other, so I guess that’s only like eight minutes we haven’t really known each other,” Wyatt said.

Although the twins prefer to work alone, they gained immense popularity in 2019 with the release of the track “Thy Mission” with indie legend Mac DeMarco. The collaboration ensued after The Garden had opened for DeMarco’s 2017 North American tour. In recent news, the duo released the track “French Kiss the Abyss” with Death Grips’ Andy Morin in November of 2021.

Rock the Loading Dock

After months of protracted anticipation, including a six-month show pushback due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans’ energy bounced off the graffiti-covered walls of the Loading Dock. A condensation of excitement formed with opener The Runts, a hardcore punk band from Los Angeles, California, and only grew as the crowd pressed closer and closer to the stage. Fans stood shoulder to shoulder with clothing clinging to skin in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the low-set stage. 

A brief interlude of baroque classics faded as The Garden emerged to perform, welcomed by a roar from the crowd. Top tracks from “Kiss My Superbowl Ring” poured from the amps, including hits “Sneaky Devil” and “AMPM Truck.” The twins were skillfully able to maintain the crowd’s rowdy and enthusiastic energy throughout their set, even earning an encore.

Fans chanted “We want the scoop!” until the duo returned on stage to perform their hit “U Want The Scoop?” to finish out the evening. As the set came to a close, fans in the band’s signature jester makeup dissipated into a classically cool Salt Lake evening content with yet another successful show from The Garden.

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