The Kills & the Horrors @ First Avenue

(The Horrors)

“Which twin are you? The evil one?” asked Jamie Hince as he and Alison Mosshart strolled on stage to a packed First Avenue late Monday night. And that cheeky attitude was on full display all evening, as the Kills proceeded to stomp, strut and slay their way through a fierce set that completely electrified the club. This was my second time seeing the band while touring in support of their excellent Midnight Boom, with the first time being at the Triple Rock, coincidentally enough, exactly one year to the day before the show at First Avenue. When you consider that the Kills’ Triple Rock show was my third favorite concert of 2008, the fact that I’m having a hard time determining which show was better should clue you in on how fantastic I thought their show at the Ave was.

(The Horrors)

Opening the night was the Southend, England band the Horrors, who played a strong set consisting solely of tracks from their new record Primary Colours, which was co-produced by Geoff Barrow of Portishead. Their music is assuredly steeped in influences from fellow UK bands My Bloody Valentine, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen, but is delivered with a freshness and brio that really injected their music with a force and vitality that was completely their own. Lanky frontman Faris Rotter has a bit of a Joey Ramone presence on stage, except with a much wilder haircut. But his vocals were intense and imbued with a passion that really drove the songs, along with the screeching guitar of Joshua Third.

(The Horrors)

The set started with a blazing version of “Three Decades” that got the full house engaged, and they built on that momentum with terrific renditions of “Do You Remember” and “I Can’t Control Myself.” Their songs often were slow burners that built to frenzied heights during the choruses, as the band lost themselves behind their somewhat familiar wall of discord. Other than thanking the audience, the band kept their brief set chugging along, tearing into “Scarlet Fields,” “Mirrors Image” and “Who Can Say,” often without waiting for the audience’s applause. It was a set filled with an ominous atmosphere and cocksure attitude, which served their dark songs well. And by the time they closed out the set with Colours‘ splendid first single, “Sea Within A Sea,” they not only set the stage well for the Kills, but more than likely converted a batch of new fans with their brooding, volatile songs and spirited live show.

(The Kills)

The fact that the club remained full despite still waiting for the headliners to come on stage at 11:30 on a Monday night was a testament to both the magnetism of the Kills and the potency of their music. After the crowd roared and signified that we were indeed the Evil Twin, at least for this evening, the familiar dial tones of “URA Fever” kicked in, and the band was off and running on a breakneck set that rarely let up. “Pull A U” kept the energy level high, and the three song combination of “Sour Cherry,” “Tape Song” and “No Wow” were fierce, feisty and completely on fire, as Mosshart prowled about on stage, preening and posing seductively on the speakers while completely captivating the audience. I was a bit disappointed that “No Wow” was the only song played from their excellent 2005 record of the same name, but that is just a small complaint for a show that didn’t really have any other flaws.

(The Kills)

“Last Day Of Magic” was a definite highlight of the set, as both Hince and Mosshart bounded about the stage, breathing a deeper intensity into the track. The duo shared a microphone during a smoldering version of “Kissy Kissy,” with the sexual tension of the song manifesting itself in the groups behavior, as they nearly kissed while closely singing into the microphone. Of course, this is all part of the performance, as that friction only adds to the sensual nature of their music. The band caught their breath a bit on the brooding and mournful “Black Balloon,” that found both members donning guitars and foregoing the keyboards and softer elements of the recorded version for a harder edged live rendition. A cover of Patsy Cline’s (by way of Willie Nelson) “Crazy” was a pleasant surprise, and was a perfect selection to play next since it was the b-side to the “Black Balloon” single. But it did bring the energy level of the show down for a bit, until the main set was closed by the lethal combination of “Cheap and Cheerful” and the explosive “Fried My Little Brains,” which proved to be another highlight of the show.

(The Kills)

After a few minutes of roaring adulation, the band were coaxed out for a stellar four-song encore that began with the chugging tones of “Hook and Line.” They slowed things up a bit with a tender and heartfelt “Goodnight Bad Morning” that Mosshart carried and completely owned, brazenly smoking the whole time. The band surprised me again by covering the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins track “I Put A Spell On You,” that once more was carried by the simmering vocals of Mosshart. Hince absolutely slayed on guitar all night, and would often try to engage and rouse the audience, with little to no effect, since all eyes were almost always on Mosshart, who has a beguiling stage presence about her that really isn’t rivaled in modern rock. It was hard for anyone to look away from that hot mess. But Hince must be used to that by now, as he was mostly content to shred away on guitar and drive the songs forward.

(The Kills)

“Dropout Boogie” closed things out on a high note, and was the fourth song played from the band’s stellar and raw 2003 debut Keep On Your Mean Side, which has just been reissued by Domino Records, and might explain the disparity in songs played between that album and No Wow. Whatever the case may be, the song selection was stellar and the band delivered a stirring set that enlivened and invigorated the packed club with their raw, arousing sound and style, and perhaps gave birth to a thousand crushes as Mosshart enthralled another audience. Fortunately, they won’t have to wait too long to see her again, as her new band, the Dead Weather, are due to play the Main Room in July. But for this night at least, the club and it’s audience were completely under the spell of the Kills.

(The Kills)

[Review by Erik Thompson, crappy cell-phone photos by Chris DeLine.]

The Kills Setlist:

URA Fever
Pull A U
Sour Cherry
Tape Song
No Wow
Alphabet Pony
Last Day Of Magic
Kissy Kissy
Black Balloon
Crazy (Patsy Cline cover)
Getting Down
Cheap and Cheerful
Fried My Little Brains
Hook and Line (encore)
Goodnight Bad Morning (encore)
I Put A Spell On You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover) (encore)
Dropout Boogie (encore)

The Kills: Purchase | Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
The Horrors: Purchase | Official | MySpace | Wikipedia

Also: The Horrors, Crocodiles & Ouija Radio @ Turf Club