Cults Concert Write-Up Part 2 (The Show)

In part one of this post I praised the venue that Cults concert was at. As much as I liked the venue though, the night would have been a mess if the bands weren't good. The show was headlined by Cults but was opened by Writer who was then followed by Guards.

Writer was a two man band that performed very atmospheric rock. It was hard to understand the lyrics through the haunting echo of the microphone but the singer's voice was great tonally and make for a great musical experience. The other band member, the drummer, played with one drum stick and one tambourine. It was something Id never seen done before and seemed like an interesting signature. As much as I enjoyed the whole set it was their last song that I liked the best. I guess that it was written by the drummer and they performed it sharing a mic with just the tambourines to keep the beat. Overall Writer was a great band and a superb opening act. When they left the stage I was more than pumped up for the rest of the concert.

Following Writer was a full band called Guards. Their lead singer was a long-haired guy who also played the guitar. They delivered a strong set of moody 70's-esque rock that seemed to me to bridge the distance between the tone and sound of Writer and the upcoming Cults. I really enjoyed Guards' sound and made a point of buying their CD at the merch. table after the show.

After Guards finished their set it was time for Cults to come on stage. I was really surprised when they started up because after listening to the album I thought that live they would use an echo mic effect like Writer in order to try and duplicate the sound from the album. It was a pleasant surprise to find the singer going a little harder and singing/yelling more than the innocent album sound. It ended up leading to a lot more energy and a much more passionate vibe. There was also a nice bit of banter throughout the set as the lead singer addressed the crowd from time to time. They ended the set with a "This is our last song, seriously. We have no more songs left over to use as an encore" statement that I thought was great. Here is a great little band that is just seeing some hype surround them and they ended the show with some naive honesty and a great song.

After the entire experience I have to say that it was one of the better concerts I've attended; the venue was great and each of the bands performed well. Cults was definitely the strongest of the three but as the headliner that is not only expected but also hoped for. Next time Cults make it back to Portland I'll be in attendance and I hope to see Writer and Guards again soon as well.