French band M83 folded space last Tuesday (October 9), dispersing a hypnotic blend of indie rock and electronic music upon a sold-out House of Blues crowd as it honed in on the final stretch of a US tour. In the early 2000s, the band fell in with the lot of burgeoning European acts; though, its sound didn’t exactly mesh with the moody, Clash-meets-New Order modus operandi of its peers. After releasing a slew of critically acclaimed albums, M83’s cerebral melodies transcended, seeping into the fleeting imagination of Millennials adrift across the Milky Way. The band takes its name from the astral conglomeration Messier 83, a radiant spiral-galaxy some 15 million light-years away. M83’s most recent release, 2011’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, charted across European markets and climbed up to number 15 in the US, its highest position to date. OffBeat photographer and columnist Caitlyn Ridenour was in attendance at the House of Blues and captured these shots as the band’s ephemeral glow, which draws as much from shoegaze as it does from synthpop, captivated the crowd.

 

 
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All photos courtesy of Caitlyn Ridenour. See more shots from the New Orleans music scene on OffBeat’s Flickr page.