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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 6 November 2008

Cold War Kids play the Astoria

Battling to be fresh, but Kids are alright

PREVIEW: COLD WAR KIDS
Astoria

COLD War Kids are weary – or maybe just their usual sombre selves. It’s 10am, they are on a tour bus from New York to their next date in Philadelphia, and very tired.
Nathan Willett, keyboardist and lead singer of the dour California band known for such cheery songs such as Hang Me Up to Dry and Golden Gate Jumpers (about suicide) has managed to muster up just enough enthusiasm to talk to Grooves about his forthcoming show at the Astoria and which country has the perfect audience.
More recently they’ve been revived on the British music scene through the critically praised cover of terminally ill lament Hospital Beds by UK folk-rock favourites Florence and the Machine – although Nathan says he’s never heard it.
They are touring off the back of their second album, Loyalty to Loyalty, and like Madonna before them they have their own routine before going onstage. Nathan said: “I’ll try to say something – we’ll look in each other’s eyes and hug each other and say some statement. Last night it was ‘play these songs like it’s the first time’.”
And how easy is it to do that night on night? “It’s crazy hard. That’s the whole art of touring. You just have to reawaken yourself to believe that it’s important.”
Expect from this tour, he says, “a rowdy intimate show playing songs from our first and second record. We try to bring a lot of energy and emotion.”
The best song he has written? “As of right this second Every Man I Fall For. I think that’s a pretty good one. I kind of liked writing it from a woman’s perspective of a relationship. My parents were divorced when I was a teenager so to watch my mom being a single woman and the idea of dating and things like that was kind of an interesting thing to watch. I only realised after that there was some of that in there.”
Speaking ahead of the US elections, Nathan admited his songs have a political undertone.
“There’s a lot of political things going on,” he said. “Many lyrics are trying to struggle with the idea of what it means to be devoted to any cause. Our song I’ve Seen Enough says ‘I’m not going to shop around for one more flag to fly’.
“Recently we ended up playing for the National Democratic Convention, but really we learned a little about what we do and don’t want to do. In politics you have to be a bit careful.”
One song that’s caught the attention of fans is Golden Gate Jumpers, about the infamous bridge in San Francisco.
Nathan said: “I was born near San Francisco and I was always attracted to the bridge and I read this article that there’s huge numbers of people that jump off it. I just thought it was fascinating to write it from the perspective of someone watching.”
They reach the Astoria stop on their tour tomorrow, but it turns out it’s not London audiences that win praise for being the perfect crowd.
Nathan said: “England has a lot of different audiences. London crowds are much more reserved and discerning. The Manchester crowd is much more rowdy – I like things about both. Paris is the perfect crowd to play – rowdy at the right times and reserved at the right times.”
• Cold War Kids play at the Astoria tomorrow (Friday)

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