This past Saturday night my brother and I ventured through the rain into the city to see one of my favorite bands as of late the Cold War Kids. The band played at the beautiful Terminal 5. It was my first time at Terminal 5 and it really surprised me how different it was than other music venues that I’ve been to. The vibe of the venue felt more like a dance/night club but it was the perfect place for the Cold War Kids infectious grooves.
The backdrop behind the band was the Loyalty to Loyalty album cover. The skeleton loomed large over the band and by the end of the night the large poster was no longer visible through the thick smoke that accumulated during the night. It looked like something out of an old Grateful Dead video. It’s easy to see what the effect of massive radio airplay and blog hype has done for the success of the Cold War Kids. The audience of the show was primarily made up of kids in the 16-25 range. The young crowd responded very well to what the Cold War Kids had to offer. The show started off with the band playing “We Used To Vacation” from their first album Robbers and Cowards. From there on the Cold War Kids slowly build up the setlist.
The first half of the set list featured songs on the slower more tame side. The crowd responded anxiously to this loll in the set. It was clear to me most in the crowd were waiting for the Cold War Kids to break into their popular singles. Songs like “Something is Not Right With Me”, “Hang Me Up To Dry”, and “Hospital Beds” brought the best out of the crowd making them dance and jump around. At one point during the show there was even one lone crowd surfer who hit the ground twice before making it to the stage. Don’t ask me why. The backbone of the Cold War Kids lies in its rhythm section of drummer Matt Aveiro and bass player Matt Maust. The foot thumping and head nodding bass intros of “Something is Not Right With Me” and “Hang Me Up To Dry” will get any person or living thing grooving along. Matt Aveiro shows his talent in the insanely hypnotic drumming in “Coffee Spoon”. Lead singer Nathan Willet showed his talents did not lie just in playing guitar and singing but he also played around on the piano for a few songs sometimes looking a little like Jerry Lee Lewis. Guitar player Jonnie Russell shared vocal and piano duties as well and also tapped along on an old wine bottle. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Cold War Kids live but like on albums they delivered their brand of rock sincerely.
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