The Kills
Fox Theater, Oakland
March 16, 2024
Photos by Raymond Ahner
The Kills are a band that I’ve been interested in ever since hearing the song “Cheap And Cheerful” from their 2008 album Midnight Boom around the time of its release. Unfortunately I’ve always missed the band every time that they’ve come through the Bay Area since, so I knew I had to break this streak and see them at The Fox Theater, the show being their last on their North American tour in support of last year’s God Games.
Once the lights went down in the venue, Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart came onstage to play their first Bay Area headlining show in seven years to a round of thunderous applause before they both strapped on a guitar and began playing “Kissy Kissy” from their 2003 debut Keep On Your Mean Side. The song got a positive reception from the crowd who erupted once the sound of number being dialed on a telephone broke through the PA, the sound being the introduction to “U.R.A. Fever,” the opening song from Midnight Boom. Mosshart and Hince crooned, “You are a fever, you ain’t born typical,” with the crowd singing back every word.
From there the setlist focused primarily on songs from the band’s most recent album, beginning with “Love And Tenderness.” Listening to the album God Games for the first time, I was taken aback by how tame it felt compared to previous albums by the band, with there seemingly being more of an emphasis on strings than on guitar. So color me surprised when nearly every song from the album was played with just as much fire and intensity as any of the older songs that the band performed. The aforementioned “Love And Tenderness,” “New York,” “Kingdom Come,” and “LA Hex” all were highlights of the evening.
Jamie and Alison have their stage presence down to a T. Jamie is stoic and mostly still, moving around the stage while making otherworldly noises with his guitar and pulling it off like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Alison is more unpredictable in her onstage demeanor, throwing her upper body back as she sings and circling the stage continually, sometimes playing guitar or a sampler. Looking at the two onstage, you can’t help but feel that The Kills are what happens when the two coolest people in the world make a band together.
Towards the end of their main set was when the band began leaning into their back catalogue. The slower “Black Balloon” was particularly poignant, while “Doing It To Death” gave me new appreciation for the song, the song being the opener from 2016’s Fire & Ice. The set closed with one of my favorites by the band, “Future Starts Slow,” the opening riff pushing the crowd into giving one of the loudest cheers of the evening. “You can blow what’s left of my right mind,” Alison and Jamie sang together, before Jamie alone muttered, “I don’t mind.” The audience didn’t seem to mind either.
The encore was a nice mix of older and newer material, with two songs from God Games and two songs from the band’s past. The show closed with a fierce performance of “Sour Cherry,” with Alison again donning her guitar. The recorded version clocks in at just over three minutes, but it felt like the band stretched it out and whipped the song into a frenzy, Alison shouting, “Am I the only sour cherry on your fruit stand?” with unbound intensity. The song ended. The audience cheered. Then the coolest band on the planet bowed and walked offstage, their North American tour finished.
Opening the show was the English band Heartworms. I’ve seen many, many concerts and even more opening bands, so believe me when I say that Heartworms may very well be the single best opening band that I have ever seen. The brainchild of frontwoman Jojo Orme, the band’s music walks the fine line of the best of 80s post-punk and goth, without the doom and gloom that the music is sometimes known for. These are songs that you can dance to, whether it be the latest single “May I Comply” or “Retributions Of An Awful Life,” which saw Jojo switching from theremin to guitar as the song gained intensity. Words cannot describe what a pleasure it was seeing this band before they blow up. Because mark my words, they’re going to.
Links:
