Review of The Kills show August 13 at The Mayan. Holy S*#t!
THE KILLS: A lot of “wow”
[By Scott Asti]
She walked on stage wearing a top hat that only she and the Mad Hatter could pull off wearing. As he started up the beat machines and strummed his guitar, she took the hat off, and in front of a sold out crowd and a leopard print backdrop, she belted her first lyric of the night: “You’re going to have to step over my dead body…” and we we’re off on a ride. F*#k! Holy S*#t! This is rock ‘n roll! This is…The Kills.
The Kills are Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart. These two compliment each other so well that the venue was super charged with electro magnetic energy. He’s the musical genius (who finger picks while handling multiple machines) and she is the ultimate front man. She has a great voice, her presence on stage captivated me from the moment she stepped on the stage, and she frequently was on the edge of the stage staring at the audience and making eye contact. It was as if Ms. Mosshart was daring me to look her in the eye. It felt as if they were caged up all day, and only let out for the show. They exploded on the stage. The Kills have this rebellious attitude behind them that is totally supported by the music they play.
So they opened with “No Wow” from No Wow, and went right into “Future Starts Slow” off of their latest album Blood Pressures. That was only the first two songs! Throughout the night they shredded with songs such as “Last Day of Magic” and “Tape Song,” built these amazing crescendos with songs like “Kissy Kissy,” “Satellite,” and “Pots and Pans,” and serenaded us with “Black Balloon” and “The Last Goodbye”.
“The Last Goodbye” was the opening of the encore, and as they mesmerized the audience with the waltz, Mr. Hince kept playing as Ms. Mosshart stepped in front of the microphone onto the apron of the stage, and stood totally vulnerable with her hands at her side while staring out into the audience. I just hope that the audience gave enough back to The Kills, because they poured out their heart and soul at The Mayan on Monday night. If I were ever fortunate enough to meet The Kills, In their own words, I would say to them “U.R.A. Fever” and then I’d expect Ms. Mosshart to either kiss me, or punch me in the teeth.
Life Is Awesome 