COLD WAR KIDS / THE ELWINS

 

Expectations can be a tricky thing. You can enter a venue not sure how the evening will end and get blown away or just the opposite. Walk in inflated and slowly the air gets sucked out. The Cold War Kids/The Elwins show at College Street in New Haven had a little of both.

Opening act The Elwins were a pleasant surprise. This Canadian band has been on my radar for the past year. Their 2017 release , Beauty Community, has been a staple on my playlist. Their live show was just as I imagined.  Their poppy indie songs translate well.

As soon as The Elwins hit the stage the energy level skyrocketed. Vocalist/Guitarist Matthew Sweeney set the pace from the start. You could feel his love for performing. Bassist Frankie Figliomeni had a healthy command of the music as both he and Sweeney traded lead vocals and instruments with ease. Guitarist Feurd with his handlebar mustache and cheshire cat smile played effortlessly and had a great rapport with the audience. Drummer Travis Stokl held it all together with an awesome backbeat.

Songs from Beauty Community comprised the majority of their set. “Hey! Ya, You” and “Don’t Walk Away From Me” were standouts but the whole set was spirited.

A definite plus was the Joan Jett cover, “Bad Reputation”. The band was wondrously frantic. The Elwins were really enjoyable and I can’t wait for their return.

When headliners Cold War Kids entered the spotlight there was a totally different vibe. Cold War Kids are seasoned indie favorites and they came out firing. Even though their recent release L.A. Divine was panned for its commercial accessibility I found the record to be one of their best.

Vocalist Nathan Willett came out swinging with “All This Could Be Yours” from Hold My Home. Bassist Matt Maust and Guitarist David Quon menacingly paced the stage. The crowd was in total unity with the band swaying to every note. They went directly into “Miracle Mile” where both  ex-Modest Mouse Joe Plummer and Keyboardist Matthew Schwarz excelled.

The Cold War Kids revved it up for “Hang Me Up To Dry”. Its plodding beat fit perfectly with the set’s mood. Willett’s voice was raspy and poignant. Next came a trio of songs from L.A. Divine. “So Tied Up”, “Can We Hang On” and “Love Is Mystical” had the room in rapture.

After “Love Is Mystical” a  sudden lack of energy seemed evident. Musically the band seemed fine but for some reason the fire was gone. The last half of the set seemed to drag until the final song “First”.  Probably Cold War Kids most popular song, “First” ramped up the intensity of the audience. The encore of the Rihanna cover “Love On the Brain” and “Something Is Not Right With Me” was an excellent finish.

On a whole the evening was fine. I was slightly disappointed with the second half of the Cold War Kids set but The Elwins were a major plus.

 

 

 

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