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Straight on the back of a successful European tour promoting their debut Lp ‘Robbers & Cowards’, the Cold War Kids are back entertaining appreciative audiences on their home turf.
Tonight they are in Los Angeles at the legendary venue that is The Troubadour.
The audience is suitably young and the temperature set to high.
They open with ‘We Used To Vacation’ and lead singer Nathan Willett is shamelessly and purposefully piano bashing while hat wearing bassist Matt Maust is frenetically walking the stage back and forth... and just like that they’ve set the tone for the rest of their set!
Noted for their ebullient live performances, I just know that tonight’s gig will live up to my expectations.
With Matt Aveiro on drums and guitarist Jonathan Russell [at times on singing duties], this Californian quartet is more likely to be mistaken for a bunch of high school rejects that one of the coolest and most hyped up band of the year.
The Cold War Kids’ infectious and ambitious tales of alcoholism, death and religion are carelessly thrown at us.
With a hint of Blues, a pinch of Southern Soul and a generous helping of Indie Rock, we get to hear most of their album.
We enjoy suitably cacophonous, playfully discordant live versions of ‘Passing The Hat’, ‘Rubidoux’, ‘Robbers’, ‘God, Make Up Your Mind’....actually the only album tracks not to make it tonight are ‘Hair Down’, ‘Pregnant’ and ‘Red Wine, Success!’.
At regular intervals, Nathan swigs from a bottle of wine resting on the piano. The very same bottle, now half empty that Nathan is tapping on during his rendition of ‘Saint John’. More bass is provided by a temporary fifth ‘kid’.
Acknowledging their previous releases, they play ‘Every Valley Is Not A Lake’ which can be found on single ‘Hang Me Up To Dry’ whose title track, current favourite, will incidentally be part of the encore, in all its catchy, anthemic glory.
The very last number before they exit the stage is ‘Quiet Please’ from 2006 single ‘We Used To Vacation’
The Cold War Kids have mastered indie Rock to perfection but they set themselves apart from the herd with intellectual lyrics, catchy tunes and manic performances.
Go catch the coolest ‘Kids’ around before they’re all grown up!
Words: Florence ACHERY
www.myspace.com/coldwarkids
www.coldwarkids.com |
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Photo from www.myspace.com/
coldwarkids
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