Cold War Kids are a band with an immensely powerful sound which has pushed their name to the masses. Tonight the band play their first UK show in over five years and bring all they have in an evening of powerful ballads, intense guitar solos and one very rowdy crowd.

Just one support is needed tonight, a band who are an all time favourite of mine, Gengahr. Gengahr are arguably one of the best indie-psychedelic bands around today and their 2015 debut record, A Dream Outside, is a staple of mine which I take any opportunity to bring out. As they begin their set, vocalist Felix Bushe’s unmistakable tones are unleashed. Felix holds a voice of such impeccable delicate high notes that they are simply a privilege to hear performed and, when combined with the dreamy overlaying instrumentals, form a truly euphoric sound that the room blissfully sinks into. The majority of the boys’ set comes from new and unreleased material, however much to my delight also with a few numbers from A Dream Outside: ’Heroine’, ’She’s A Witch’ and the infectious ‘Fill My Gums With Blood’ make very welcomed appearances. The new sound borders far more on a bouncy tropical vibe, yet still utilises Felix’s full vocal range brilliantly. If nothing else, Gengahr’s set has certainly hyped me even more for their future releases.

Atop of a soundtrack of atmospheric vocal flourishes and a blackened, smoke-filled stage, Cold War Kids now enter the room. From the offset, the band’s incredible energy pulses through the venue with ‘All This Could Be Yours’ and singer Nathan Willett’s equally incredible voice carries the song through. Nathan has a simply mighty voice which is certainly the cornerstone of this entire band, however when combined with the piercing guitar solos and pounding drums, make for an overall aura which is simply awesome to witness. The track’s punchy pacing has already sent the crowd into a frenzy of chanting, clapping and movement, an incredibly strong start from these Californian rockers.

The band drift from material all across their 13 year discography and provide not only a sublime showcase of their newest record, L.A Divine, but aren't afraid to bring out some of their biggest classics. ‘Love is Mystical’ and ‘Ordinary Idols’ from the new record demonstrate living proof that this band are by no means washed up and, if anything, highlight the really strong sense of structure and development the band has undergone. Meanwhile, no one in the crowd can resist chanting along to the anthem nature of ‘Hang Me Up To Dry’, which sees the entire room bouncing on their feet. Despite tonight not quite being a sell out, this audience’s dedication and passion towards these songs goes unmatched and provide easily enough noise to fill a room twice the size.

My largest critique of tonight comes not from either bands, but the technical mishaps occurring here. There are times where the sound doesn’t quite feel as fulfilling as it should do through the amps and the lighting was beyond atrocious. To play an hour long set and only being able to see the artist’s face when the backing lights peak is dismal and really did distract from the show’s overall ambience. Nonetheless Nathan’s ability as a frontman was easily more dominating and it is clear that even with these faults, the audience are having a sublime time.

As the set enters its later stages, more and more chant-along anthems make appearances that the entire venue is eager to join in with. ‘We Used To Vacation’ receives a particularly strong response and of course the band’s piece de resistance ‘First’ concludes the show in a final flurry of sound, cheering and stunning vocals. It is brilliant to have Cold War Kids back in the UK and tonight’s set felt like a well overdue reunion which was executed brilliantly from all parts. Despite Cold War Kids being around for well over a decade, they have proven that they still have an immense amount to give to the world and are a freight train which shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Ben Walker

Website: coldwarkids.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ColdWarKids
Twitter: twitter.com/coldwarkids