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LIVE DC: Cold War Kids @ 9:30 Club

October 21, 2008 by Phil

all photos: Kyle Gustafson

Cold War Kids are huge. I’m pretty impressed by this, since they seem to be pretty much identical to ever other band that was big in 2006 and has since faded into obscurity (what up, Birdmonster?). Nonetheless, they keep being a band and making songs and selling out shows and (presumably) selling albums, which is rather serendipitous since, as becomes clear a few songs into their set, they don’t generally have the songs to back up their notable rise to quasi-stardom; their capable and energetic set on Saturday at 9:30 made clear that Cold War Kids’ strength lies in performing, not songcraft.

I can’t comment on opener AA Bondy since a perfect storm of traffic, previous engagements and bullshit prevented me from catching any of his set, but from what I’ve heard of his records, it’s the kind of sleepy, stripped-down folk music that would make it tough to say anything but “alright” after listening to it. While completely unprofessional and speculative, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say it was alright.

Cold War Kids took the stage a few minutes before 10:15 to a completely sold out crowd. As a modest fan of their first release, Robbers & Cowards, and someone who found this month’s Loyalty to Loyalty to be a huge disappointment, I thought it was kind of annoying, though not really that surprising, that so much of the set was composed of newer stuff. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the new album, just that lead singer Nathan Willett’s voice seems way more whiny and grating on the scrappy, sloppy and unfocused tracks that comprise it. Also, it probably didn’t help that none of Loyalty’s cuts match the catchy exuberance of the first album’s “Hang Me Up To Dry” or “We Used To Vacation.” Thus, while those songs sparkled live, prompting audience sing-alongs and a fair amount of booty-shaking, the newer cuts didn’t fare as well, inducing little to no movement and, more than once, a glazed-over look of boredom shared by nearly everyone in attendance.

This was especially true of the interminable, extended slow-burner the band decided to launch into towards the end of the set. Founded on a simple yet effective guitar riff, the song had more false stops and starts than a high school romance and seemed to go on about six minutes too long. It was clear from looking around during hour 79 that most everyone else agreed.

I don’t mean to make it sound that the show was all bad. Like I said, the band’s energy and stage presence are unparalleled and guitarist Jonnie Russell’s bluesy, reverb-laden playing was consistently fresh and compelling. The drunken inclusiveness of the closing “Saint John” ended the show on a largely positive note and the flashlight-on-the-audience gimmick they employed during one of the songs was distinctive, even if the pitch-blackness that enveloped much of the middle of the set was less than appealing. Nonetheless, Cold War Kids remain capable of delivering a solid performance, even if the quality of their songs tends to be a bit all-over-the-place.

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