Cold War Kids, Bridezilla @The Palace, Melbourne(4/02/09)

Sat 7th Feb, 2009 in Gig Reviews

Five-piece Sydney, indie rockers Bridezilla opened with some tracks from their current EP Bridezilla. At first I was confused why the group were gathered to one side of the stage leaving the violinist Daisy Tulley all on her own on the other side. It quickly became evident however, that she needed all this room as she is possibly the most energetic violinist in the country.

Tulley was dancing around the stage with as much passion as she put into her violin, which complemented the rest of the band quite well. Following one of the most impressive violin solos seen, and one where I honestly thought Tulley was going to total half the gear on stage, the crowd erupted in applause. By 10pm it was clear Bridezilla and their blend of rock, violin and sax were the perfect choice to warm up the crowd.

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War Kids latest album Loyalty To Loyalty the stage was then adorned with pianos, guitars and a host of percussion instruments. They came on stage to a thunderous crowd and opened with the electrifying Mexican Dogs, which had us all jumping in no time. A well thought out setlist gave us hits like Every Valley Is Not A Lake, and Dreams Old Men Dreams which were both cause for mass sing alongs. We were introduced to Cryptonisia as the ‘delicate song’ it is, and told ‘if anyone speaks during it, I’ll get Bridezilla onto you.’ I still can’t work out if that was a bad thing though.

The Palace isn’t one of the most natural sounding venues but this didn’t hinder the Cold War Kids in the slightest, with their unique brand of music benefiting immensely from the harsh, raw sound. We were treated to a cacophony of percussive breakdowns that included a crash on top of a road case mixed in with an empty yager bottle. Even though some of their old songs did nothing for the crowd, the classics Hang Me Out To Dry and Hospital Dance went off. Relief followed giving the crowd a much needed break. Come the chorus we were all singing away again. It was the latest single Something Is Not Right With Me however, that left the biggest impression on The Palace.

After an energetic set to rival Bridezilla’s violinist, the Cold War Kids left the stage to a raging applause. For the crowd however, the show wasn’t over as we all demanded more. Usually bands save their best songs to finish a show, however in a somewhat disappointing move they came back out and rocked us Against Privacy and Old Saint John leaving a slightly mellowed feel in the crowd. While it is a shame to not end on a hands pumping song just when the crowd are revved up, it was still an amazing set.