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Like I suspect of most others in attendance, the light of my night was the Cold War Kids. They put on one hell of a show, and had a live sound that far exceeded my expectations. More on that in a bit. First, I want to describe the two new bands to whom I was introduced on this night of March 31.
The night began with the energetic Delta Spirit, who opened the show with a very respectable set. Delta’s live sound resembled a lot of what modern pop music embodies, but without the overproduction that plagues, well, virtually every studio album made since 1994. Though a bit repetitive at times, their songs all boast pleasant melodies over catchy chord changes. Melodic and catchy pop music: that’s how I’d peg Delta Spirit. Matt Vasquez brings forth a lot of nuance as the lead singer. Hiding under a fashionable tweed cap, he makes his presence known as soon as he starts singing. He projects very well, and pulls off the emphatic-scream-without-sounding-like-you’re-screaming as well as anybody.
Next up was Tokyo Police Club. Tokyo’s songs consist primarily of ambient noise that is carefully constructed so as not to utilize harmony, melody, or key signatures. Josh Hook (guitars) looked as though his muscles were spasming all night long. His body moved suddenly in ways that the human body is not supposed to move. He looked as though he was overcaffeinated and/or having a seizure. Bassist and lead singer Dave Monks sang with a constant smile, as if to say “hey folks, the joke’s on you.”
The Cold War Kids were absolutely phenomenal. Nathan was spot on all night. His vocals were near-perfect and you could see him getting really into the piano lines he was playing. Jonnie was having a lot of fun on the guitar, running across the stage and jamming with the Matts. The Kids are one of the few bands I’ve seen recently who can bring a lot of energy to the stage without having to make a musical sacrifice.
The highlight of the night for me was the performance of Saint John, for which they brought out members of Delta Spirit and Tokyo Police Club. Everyone was running about the stage using various drum sticks, wine bottles and tree limbs to play percussive beats. Miraculously, it was all done tastefully and with discipline. Everything fit together quite nicely and at no point did it sound forced. From the crowd’s perspective, the visual was very neat as well.
tags: cold war kids, delta spirit, live music, pearl street nightclub, tokyo police club