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Los Angeles Times
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Baby raves?! There was just one in L.A. and it was weird and wild with glow sticks galore
Natalie Z. Briones is a concert veteran. She's been to heavy metal concerts and a punk music festival where she napped most of the time. On Sunday, she attended her first baby rave. Natalie is a few months shy of two. In the arms of her dad, Alvin Briones, 36, the pigtailed toddler squealed 'Hi!' to anyone passing by the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood where the Briones family was lined up to meet Lenny Pearce, the mastermind behind Natalie's favorite song, 'The Wheels on the Bus.' It's not the classic version most parents sing while slowly swaying and clapping — Pearce's rendition rages with enough bass to rattle rib cages. Natalie is here for it, and so is her mom, Alondra Briones, who plays the techno remix during her drives to work even without Natalie in the backseat. 'It's a pick-me-up,' said Alondra, 28, from Compton, before filing into the theater with other parents and caregivers for an afternoon rager with their kids. In Pearce's techno remixes of classic children's music, an unexpected subgenre is taking off — toddler techno — which melds the cloyingly sweet lyrics of songs like 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' with the edgy beat drops associated with music from gritty warehouse parties. The unlikely musical pairing creates a bridge between parents like Sandra Mikhail and her 6-year-old daughter, Mila. Both dressed in fuchsia at Pearce's dance party, the mother-daughter duo were there to celebrate Mila's promotion from kindergarten. In their Riverside home, Pearce's music is on heavy rotation. 'I can handle kids' music now,' said Sandra, 38. 'With the beat and [Pearce] adding that techno touch to it, it makes me able to tolerate listening to it all day long.' For the last year, Pearce has been hosting sold-out dance parties boldly called baby raves — first in his native Australia — then on the first leg of his U.S. tour, which culminated in a June 29 double-header at the Roxy. In the afternoon show timed for that sweet spot many parents know well — post-nap and right before the evening witching hours — Pearce pranced, high-fived kids and waved at babies being hoisted in the air. At 34, he's been an entertainer for most of his life. Over a decade ago, he was dancing in music videos as a member of the Australian boy band, Justice Crew. Now, he's firmly affixed in his dad era. His dance partner is now a large balloon spider named Incy Wincy. 'I'm just being a dad on stage,' said Pearce in a video interview from New York. 'I can make a clown of myself to entertain kids.' Pearce's journey into children's entertainment seemed preordained, if only because his identical twin brother is arguably the second most famous purple character on a children's TV show (behind Barney, of course). 'We're both in the toddler scene,' said John Pearce, the older twin by minutes, who in 2021 joined 'The Wiggles' cast as the Purple Wiggle. '[My brother's] stuck with it for a long time, and it's all paid off now.' At the Roxy, many parents and caregivers said they found Pearce through the Purple Wiggle. Others discovered him on social media: He has more than 2 million followers on TikTok and more than 1 million followers on Instagram. Before becoming children's entertainers, the Pearce brothers were members of Justice Crew, a dance troupe that won 'Australia's Got Talent' in 2010. For a few years, the boy band's future burned white hot with the aspiration to break through in the U.S. — a dream that never materialized. Most boy bands have a finite time in the spotlight, said Pearce. In 2016, he quit the Justice Crew to focus on DJing and music production, but the transition from boy band to toddler techno didn't happen overnight. For a time, he worked as a salesperson at an Australian electronic store. 'People were like, 'Aren't you from Justice Crew?'' he said. 'And I'm like, 'Yeah. Now, do you want this lens with that camera?'' In 2022, becoming a dad to his daughter Mila changed the course of his creativity. Pearce started remixing children's songs with 'ravey' music and filming himself dancing with her to the songs. Soon, other parents started sharing videos of their kids dancing to his songs, too. In this way, social media allows for ideas to be refined until something sticks. In March, Pearce released his first solo album aptly titled, 'Toddler Techno.' All along the way, he imagined playing these songs at mini raves. For this generation of kids and their millennial parents, it's not a stretch, said Pearce. Pretend DJ tables are just as commonly sold in toy aisles as construction trucks. In the fall, Pearce and his baby raves will return to the U.S. — and, yes, to L.A. — in a 30-city tour. As a solo artist, he's done what he couldn't do in a band — he's broken through to the U.S. and international audiences. 'It's funny, isn't it?' said Pearce. 'I always felt like I had something to say, but no one really listened.' The roots of techno — in Detroit or Berlin depending on whom you talk to — were always antiestablishment, said Ambrus Deak, program manager of music production at the Los Angeles Film School. 'It was exploratory,' said Deak, a longtime DJ who went by DJ AMB, about techno. Toddler techno plays with that contrast — an edgy genre made safe for kids. Deak would not attend a baby rave — 'It would be very cringe for me,' he said — but sees the appeal. 'I can definitely see a lot of people being into it,' said Deak, 48. Still, not everyone is sold on the idea of taking kids to a rave — even one held in the middle of the day with a face-painting station. In the comments of Pearce's social media posts, parents occasionally debate the appropriateness of exposing kids to drug-addled rave culture. 'I know that most people would say, 'Is this the image we want to teach our kids?'' said Pearce. 'What image are you imagining? Because if you think about it, they're just kids with light sticks, right?' He gets the concern, but kids don't know about the darker sides of raves unless they are taught. And that's not what his baby raves are about. In the right dose, some experts say techno music and baby raves can be beneficial for kids and parents. 'Parents' happiness and stress regulation also matter,' said Jenna Marcovitz, director of the UCLA Health Music Therapy program. 'Techno can promote oxytocin and boost endorphins. It can encourage joy and play and really support brain development, emotional regulation and really enhance the parent-child bond as well.' At the Roxy, one man vigorously pumped his fist to the beat of the music. 'Fist pump like this!' he shouted to the child on his shoulders. Both fists — little and big — jabbed the air. Everything — especially baby raves — should be enjoyed in moderation. The pulsating music, giant inflatables tossed into the crowd and sudden blasts of fog can overstimulate kids. For the roughly one-hour show, the music is loud. Typically set to 85 to 90 decibels, Pearce said. Having a sensory support plan is key, said Marcovitz, who recommends toddlers wear headphones with a noise reduction rating of 20 to 30 decibels or higher — like this one or this one. Practicing dance parties at home, so your child knows what to expect, is also helpful. At the rave, look for signs of overstimulation, which can present differently with each child — some might shut down while others might start shoving each other mosh pit-style. At the Roxy show, one toddler sat down, ate half a bag of Goldfish crackers and poured the rest on the floor. Another disappeared into the crowd for a few alarming moments before being returned by a good Samaritan. 'For any child, I would recommend breaks every 30 minutes,' said Marcovitz. 'Step outside.' Because techno hypes people up — even little kids — it's important to help a child regulate their nervous system back down after the show. 'Lots of cuddles, silence and hugs,' said Marcovitz. Pearce also starts the party late, so the dance party before the rave can tucker kids out before he takes the stage. Ashley and Todd Herles drove from Santa Clarita to the Roxy so their son, Oliver, 3, could meet Pearce before the show. They said they bought $120 VIP tickets, which included a meet and greet and table seats where Oliver got to high-five Kuma, Pearce's dancing sidekick in a turquoise monkey suit. For Pearce's November 23 show at the Novo in downtown Los Angeles, ticket prices currently range from $48 to $195, fees and taxes included. Overall, Oliver loved it — until he didn't. '[The] meltdown happened around 1:40 so we left then,' said Ashley, 40. They had big post-rave plans to refuel with french fries. But Oliver was tired. And, most importantly? 'Our backs hurt,' said Ashley.
Rakyat Post
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Rakyat Post
Rave But Make It Toddler-Friendly: DJ Lenny Pearce In KL This August!
Subscribe to our FREE Australian DJ Lenny Pearce has carved a unique career for himself by remixing popular children's hits like Baby Shark, Cocomelon, and nursery rhymes into electronic dance tracks. Yep, the nursery rhymes you've sung for years have become party anthems for young children! With hit techno versions of songs like ''Wheels On The Bus'' and ''Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes'', the former Justice Crew member has created a dance movement for children, known as family raves or baby raves. Pearce is partnering with Tonies, a toy production company, to bring Lenny's Toddler Techno Tour to Australia and Asia from 5 July onwards. If you're a parent who has a child who loves dancing and singing (or you miss your party days), you're in luck because he will be performing at Jiospace, Kuala Lumpur on 16 and 17 August at 11.30am (yes, party in the am!). Tickets can be purchased from the official website Additionally, Pearce recently released an album titled Why does he look familiar? If Pearce looks familiar, it's because his twin brother, John Pearce, plays the Purple Wiggle in the popular Australian children's music group The Wiggles. Lenny Pearce has also collaborated with The Wiggles on an EDM remix album titled ''The Wiggles Sound System: Rave of Innocence,'' featuring remixes of classic Wiggles songs. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Hot Wiggle' John Pearce celebrates first Easter after welcoming baby boy Henry at Christmas
Purple Wiggle John Adamo-Pearce has celebrated his first Easter with his new baby boy Henry. The former Justice Crew member, known as the 'Hot Wiggle', welcomed his son with his wife Jessie just two weeks before Christmas. And now the happy couple have taken to social media to share some holidays snaps featuring their four-month-old bundle of joy. In one snap a beaming John can be seen flaunting his physique in a white single while holding son while his wife poses beside him. Another photo shared to John's Instagram showed little Henry in a 'bunny' jumpsuit being held by his father, while Jessie attempts to be a pair of tiny sandals on his feet. Another picture features John and Jessie with their baby enjoying a lavish meal with several loved ones. It comes after John Pearce and Jessie Adamo welcomed their first child into the world in December. John shared pictures of their newborn to Instagram and confirmed their son's adorable name, revealing they have called him Henry Nicholas. He penned: 'Henry Nicholas Adamo Pearce 16.12.24. Welcome to the world our beautiful angel. We have never felt a love like this.' John and Jessie announced they were expecting their first child back in June and have been keeping fans up to date with their pregnancy journey since. Just weeks before welcoming their first child, the couple jetted off to Fiji for a luxury babymoon as they celebrated Jessie's final few weeks of pregnancy. In September, John took to Instagram to share an array of stunning snaps from their pre-baby holiday as they made the most of their quality time together. The couple spared no expense on the trip as they stayed in the luxurious Fiji Marriott Resort in Momi Bay. The hotel boasts the Fijian mainland's only sole over-water bungalows, allowing you to plunge into pristine lagoon waters directly from private stairs. John and Jessie started dating in 2012, just two years after his dance-pop group Justice Crew shot to fame with their Australia's Got Talent win. They tied the knot in a private ceremony in October 2019 and they recently marked their fifth wedding anniversary. Meanwhile, says he has learned to embrace his sex symbol status as the 'Hot Wiggle'. 'It's positive thing and I'm super flattered by it. You've just got to embrace it,' the new dad said in an interview with TMZ's Big Down Under podcast. 'My wife thinks so, so that's the main thing,' he laughed when asked if he approves of the nickname. John, whose nicknames include 'Big Strong John', 'Hot Wiggle' and 'Daddy Wiggle' has had various roles over the years - hip hop dancer, a Ninja Warrior and since 2021 the 'Purple Wiggle'. John had applied to be a firefighter and was also a budding Instagram influencer when he was shoulder tapped by The Wiggles. When it was first announced John was joining the quintessentially Australian group, an ABC News host labelled him 'offensively hot' and a 'thirst trap for mums'. He said back in the day Anthony Field, 61, who has tattoos and abs underneath his Blue Wiggle skivvy, would be more worthy of the title. 'I believe that if TikTok was around in the 90s, Anthony would have been the original Hot Wiggle,' he laughed. 'I'm just trying to be myself. I don't mind the labels. I've been accepted into the role of Purple Wiggle so thank you to all the mums, dads, aunties and uncles.'
