Last summer it was Best Coast that provided the soundtrack to the quintessential warm weather drive to the beach. This year, it seems Cults has taken the reigns of that title and are doing fairly well at it. Their self titled debut is short yet interesting with its noisy styled pop and innocent swing that’s just too damn adorable to hate. Cults predictably sold out the Bottom of the Hill on July 25th, 2011 and brought along two impressive (also single-word band named acts) in tow.
Writer
Writer
Writer
First up was last week’s Kuestionnaire star, Writer. As described in said post, the two-piece garage rock act from San Diego is certainly something to witness live. Most opening acts struggle to grab the attention of the audience and just remain as background music for conversation. Writer did not accept this norm and was able to grab the crowd’s attention without much effort. Their music is simple enough and classy enough for the Cults-fans, but the accessibility of their music is what was key to their short yet engaging set. Keep an eye out for these guys; I have good feeling about Writer.
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Writer – Family Dinner from Brotherface (2011)
Guards
Guards
Next up on the line-up was Richie James Follin’s Guards. Starting as a Follin’s (brother of Madeline Follin of Cults) simple solo project and morphing into a dark pop, 60s style, ensemble, Guards can go from light and witty to woeful and downright creepy in a matter of seconds. The stage was filled with bright lights and a fog machine that would randomly spray during the set.
Guards
Guards
The Brooklyn group was seriously not too far off from what Cults sounds like. So obviously the crowd resonated with their lofty sound and reverb heavy vocals. They performed like a less dramatic Girls with this slight hint of Goth attached to it. Enjoyable to say the least. Oh and a unique version of M.I.A.’s Born Free was performed (which I enjoyed more than the original).
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Guards – dont wake the dead from Guards EP (2010)
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Guards – Born Free (M.I.A. cover) from Cover Songs (2011)
Cults
Cults
Finally Cults took the stage under some very dim blue lighting. This was not a good stage mood for their lively and luminous style of 60s pop music. Granted that was easily ignorable once the band started playing the many catchy and melodic tunes from their soaring debut album.
Songs like the coastal drive anthem Go Outside, the airy Most Wanted, and the sweet Oh My God got the mostly younger 20s female audience singing out-loud without shame along with their shaggy haired and heavily bearded boyfriends. Lead singer Madeline Follin passionately belted out each tune with the enthusiasm of a diva in the making.
Cults
Cults / Click Photo For More Pictures
Whether Cults are aware of it or not, their live performances are quite absorbing, mainly due the genuine and simple nature that band’s stage persona. There’s no bells & whistles with Cults, they didn’t even play an encore (they announced they weren’t that kind of band). This could be translated as shyness or bluster, but I interpreted it as humility from a band that has to know they are one step away from indie-rock stardom. From what I saw that night, it seems as though they deserve it.
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Cults – Go Outside from Cults (2011)
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Cults – Oh My God from Cults (2011)