?)MONDAY GIG|^

Seems noone took pictures from Monday night while Cold War Kids were on stage. I don't need them though, 'cause I witnessed it all myself. I did bring my camera along, but didn't use it. Can´t take pictures and enjoy the performance completely at the same time. So I left it in my backpack and didn´t take it out. There wasn't much stage light anyway. I was standing up at the front. I was at Paradiso like an hour before they were supposed to show up which was 20.30, but they took a while before coming on stage. When they eventually did they gave a very vibrant performance. They had fun and it showed. It was cool to watch them going completely up in their music. It's important a band still enjoys doing gigs, having to play the same songs over and over and sound fresh to a new and different audience every night. Nathan Willett's voice, the band's frontman, sounded as bluesy live as on the albums. Highlight was the last track of the show after they already left the stage but came back to do two more songs. I knew what the setlist was going to be so I was already expecting Saint John, one of my favourite tracks from their first album Robbers & Cowards. And as can be heard on the album one of the band members brought an empty bottle and hit on it with a stick, which at times made me just a little bit afraid it would shatter into pieces with pieces of broken glass flying my way. It made their performance very energetic though. The dimmed lighting really fitted all that the band stands for, being known for singing not so positive songs, especially on their last album which sounds a bit darker and more bluesy than their first. Their first one being a bit more soulful. I was wondering how the songs from their latest album would sound live and I'll be honest in saying that I expected them to be a bit boring and tough to go through. But to my surprise they sounded very danceable and thus I was moving almost the entire show and the longer they played the more I lost myself in the music. So I was very happy with the way they performed their tracks live. I do really like their new album and found it to be very funky, but yes, most songs don't have that commercial appeal and are less expected to be singles than some of the songs of their first record. So overall it was an amazing night and a great warm-up for Wolf Parade who I will see December 2nd. That one is really going to rock my socks and I expect the crowd to go completely crazy including me. I can't wait!