RFC Counterpoint: Cults @ The Hideout, 7/31/2010

“Play that one song!” Yes, a presumably-inebriated audience member went for that dick move between songs during the Cults show at The Hideout on Saturday, but it stands as a testament to the mercurial nature of Cults’ rise to indie-blog stardom that everyone in the almost-sold-out room knew exactly which song the guy was talking about — and probably about half of them were thinking along the same lines, as evidenced by a chorus of knowing chuckles (and a couple groans). Thus far, the San Diego duo (now a four-piece for touring purposes) have pretty much staked their reputation on the promise of their initial single “Go Outside,” along with a couple of other cuts they posted up on Bandcamp.com. I wrote about the potential downsides of excessive hype over a relative paucity of recorded material just last week, but during Cults’ Hideout set this weekend, they showed me a wealth of worthy melodies they’ve got on reserve; couple that with a surprisingly tight touring formation and an effusive California charm, and Cults just might be able to carry this thing for the long haul.

Cults - The Curse

Of course, Cults kept it relatively short at about 45 minutes, and, as expected by everyone except the dope who called for it two songs in, they saved “Go Outside” for last. They rounded things out with the two other tracks from their self-released digital 7” and about four or five new songs. Although most of the new stuff washed through my ears in a haze of above-average retro pleasantness, I admittedly hate evaluating new material in a live setting, so I’m not gonna hold it against anybody that I couldn’t hum a couple bars from any of the new songs the day after. Naturally, this super-nascent outfit won’t graduate to arena-size gigs anytime soon: singer Madeline Follin’s reedy vocals sometimes wander right out of the mix, and despite her endearingly tentative sway-dancing routine, she doesn’t exactly project Diana Ross confidence, either. I really did like one new song, though; a sort of glittery, prom-closing slow jam that found Follin reaching for the rafters of her register on an unexpectedly killer chorus. After two years of too much chillwave, I guess I’m easily impressed when someone takes on a vocal melody that spans more than, y’know, half an octave.

Otherwise, things worked as well as one can expect on a first tour. “Go Outside” sounded pretty much like it does on record, and Cults generally came across like a bunch of gracious, mild-mannered kids with a median haircut length that falls somewhere between “metalhead” and “fairy-tale princess.” If the performance seemed a little bit too mannered at times, well, give ‘em a break — just like us, Cults are still catching up with the hype.

Oh, and by the way: I’m well aware there’s a certain irony in the fact that I griped about how Cults have been getting too much coverage for such a formative outfit, and then Shani and I followed that up with a full-on double write-up of their show. Yes, indeed. Well aware.

Also, check this new Cults video that just hit the internet, courtesy of Kia and Adult Swim. For some reason, Typepad won't embed the player, but you can check the link. It's a new song called "Oh My God," and the accompanying clip kind of resembles a Dragonforce video featuring a fur coat made from balloon animals (I think). WTF goodness.