Cold War Kids
FYF Fest
Sept. 3
With the sun coming down behind the four members of Cold War Kids, the band was nearly a silhouette as it played to a full crowd at FYF Fest. Despite the sun in the crowd’s eyes, Cold War Kids still managed to entertain.
The four-piece band from Long Beach, comprised of Nathan Willett (vocals, piano, guitar), Jonnie Russell (guitar, backup vocals, keyboards), Matt Maust (bass) and Matt Aveiro (drums, percussion), brought a classic rock sound to an otherwise punk-infested festival.
As the band came on stage, Willett started off with typical band introductions. He followed this up by talking about how the band hails from Los Angeles and how great it was to be back home. Little else was said, and the band quickly began its set.
At first, the band seemed very eager to play songs off its new record “Mine Is Yours,” including the title track, “Bulldozer” and “Royal Blue.” Mixed in with those tracks were occasional pieces off the band’s second release, “Loyalty to Loyalty,” such as “Something Is Not Right With Me” and “Mexican Dogs.”
About two-thirds of the way through the show, the opening chords for “Hang Me Up to Dry,” probably the band’s best-known song, were strummed as Willett approached the mic and told the audience that the band members were now going to be playing an old song of theirs.
There was noticeable excitement from the crowd as the band played more tracks off its first record “Robbers and Cowards.” In an especially touching moment, the band played the moving “Hospital Beds,” as well as a memorable closing version of “Saint John” that was carefully orchestrated to sound sloppy. It was hectic and reserved at the same time.
While the other members played well, it was Willett’s incredible voice that propelled the band through its set.
Cold War Kids’ music isn’t fit for moshing or head-banging, which was a bit of a departure from the rest of the lineup at this year’s FYF Fest, but the crowd still seemed to enjoy the set. Overall, the audience was somewhat docile, but part of that might have had to do with the blinding sun.