Fans Congregate Around ‘The Altar’ as Banks Performs at Pomona’s Fox Theater

Joseph Baura

With the release of her debut album “Goddess” in 2014, the Orange County-bred songstress known as Banks burst onto the scene with an overwhelming amount of praise for her silky voice and dark tone. Despite being fairly contemporary with her sound, there’s surely some aspects of the of her music that takes inspiration from 90s R&B, often being compared to artists like Aaliyah. Having toured with artists like The Weeknd, Banks has had her share of success in the past few years, being featured in several television shows and films, as well as a strong showing on the Billboard charts. With the release of her latest album, “The Altar,” Banks is continuing with her dark brand of R&B and is just as forceful with her sound, however this time with more confidence and cohesiveness than her previous efforts. Recently embarking on her “The Altar” tour, Banks hit the west coast to perform at the Fox Theater in Pomona for part of the Goldenvoice Presents April concert series before her Coachella performances.

Before Banks took to the stage on her own, British-bred singer and musician Jack Garratt gave the crowd an experience that would warm them up. Garratt put on a powerful performance juggling several instruments from guitar, to a piano and drum pads. While his instrumentation was impressive by itself, Jack Garratt truly shined when he soulfully and powerfully crooned through the songs off of his debut album, “Phase.” By the time Garratt had concluded his performance, fans were melting in the palm of his hands, begging for more of the Britain-bred artist.

With fans’ energy levels peaking, Banks took to the stage at the Fox Theater Pomona draped in all black, opening up with the fan favorite, “Poltergeist.” As Banks’ chilling voice echoed through the venue, she danced about the stage with grace, seducing the crowd with her hauntingly beautiful movements.

With the release of her album, “The Altar,” in 2016, Banks made a point to make that the focus of her show for the night as the majority of her roughly hour-long set was taken from the latest album. However, Banks didn’t shy away from performing a few songs from “Goddess” by touching on tracks like “Beggin’ For Thread” and “This Is What It Feels Like,” bringing the crowd to energy levels that they hadn’t reached all night.

Banks closed the show with her single “Haunt,” before leaving the stage to fans chanting her name. Banks obliged and returned to the stage to perform two more songs in “27 hours,” and “This Is Not About Us.”

Once all was said and done, Banks laid out the reasons as to why she is easily at the top of her game and a force to be reckoned with.

Banks performed w/ opener Jack Garratt at the Fox Theater Pomona on April 11.