The Cold War Kids busted out of Fullerton, California onto the national stage with their debut EP, Mulberry Street, in 2005, but judging from their surprise performance in East Los Angeles on Friday night, they've been chomping at the bit to bring it all back home.
About 250 close friends of the quartet gathered at the home of a longtime friend of the band for what was expected to be just a local band's showcase. But they soon got the surprise of the night when the Kids themselves, who were in the crowd, jumped onstage to deliver a strong hour-long set of their boisterous catalog.
Starting out with a rambunctious version of "Royal Blue" ("Why would I make that face?" lead singer Nathan Willett bellowed), they then launched into an epic, set that found the crowd's noise reaching a crescendo at perhaps their best known hit, "Louder Than Ever," after they glowingly strummed their way through "Finally Begin" and "Cold Toes On The Cold Floor."
But the action didn't stop there. The band easily rolled through "I’ve Seen Enough" and "Skip The Charades” before Willett asked the crowd how they were doing — followed by, "You didn't put anything in my beer did you?" Funny guy.
"Bulldozer," "Hospital Beds," "We Used To Vacation" and "Saint John" followed, prompting Willett to toss out an aside — "It’s been a long time since we've been in the backyard!" he enthused. Unfortunately, there was no encore, but the guys did jump back down to socialize with their old pals afterward to cap off a triumphant return home.
By Ian Drew with reporting by Sarah Attman for UsMagazine.com. To read more of Ian's blog, click here.
To see images and a full video of The Cold War Kids VEVO GoShows concert, click here.
