On the same night that America watched the Trump-Harris debate circus, there were smiles, laughter and genuine excitement at the Santa Barbara Bowl – thanks to up-and-coming “funky soul pop” artist Remi Wolf.

Flashback to the summer of 2022, when she opened for Lorde’s Solar Power tour, belting out hits like “Liz” and “Photo ID” with the manic energy of Janis Joplin. As she darted across the stage while chipping a tooth and easily spraining an ankle, Remi Wolf proved herself to be a rising star and made me an instant fan.

This time, Wolf returned as headliner to kick off their Big Ideas tour with opener Lava La Rue. They set the tone early with their intro to “LOVEBITES,” saying, “This next song is fucking gay, so if there are any queer people here, it’s on you!” A diverse crowd dressed in ’90s street style (bucket hats, bright colors, bold patterns, and big hair) went wild for the funky, hip-hop-influenced trio from London.

Then Wolf came on, in a boyish “Dumb Snow Bunny” baseball T-shirt and cargo pants, overwhelming the crowd with her sweet, cotton-candy-and-Care Bear-esque aggression. Her seven-piece backing band propelled the genre-bending artist through modern pop (“Cinderella”), artsy grunge (“Frog Rock”), groovy funk (“Toro”) and even country (a driving, earnest cover of Rascal Flatts’ “Life Is A Highway”).

Her speaking voice is disarmingly childlike – she spoke of meeting fans in the “wonderful community” of Santa Barbara who gave them permission to “sing and be crazy and let out all their energy” – even though she sings with astonishing range and power, purring, howling, yelping and screaming to musically express the highest highs and lowest lows. Her music is catchy and offbeat, full of surprises, equal parts heartfelt and raunchy; several times Wolf flirted with both male and female guitarists – and even showed up for a front row encore, putting Justin and Janet’s Super Bowl stunt to shame and giving our bowl a feast for the eyes.

“I’m the kind of person who gets so engrossed in something, and then when it’s over, I get bored!” Wolf said, opening a revamped version of “Sexy Villain.” We hope Remi Wolf, who is energetic, funny and sometimes naughty, continues to follow her muse and matures as much as “mature” can look for this incredible, unique talent.