"2 Bands, 4 Members; A Night To Remember"

Show: August 3, 2008 @ The Phoenix, Toronto, ON.
With many contemporary bands having more and more members it was certainly an odd sight at the Phoenix on August 3rd when not only did the headlining band, The Black Keys, contain two members, but also the openers, pan-Atlantic post-punk group The Kills. Both of these groups have been growing in popularity very quickly, and while The Kills were in town this previous May headlining at The Opera House, it was still a pleasure to see them in town again.

When The Kills took the stage the sold out crowd wasn't quite sure what to make of it, vocalist Alison Mosshart and guitarist Jamie Hince took to the stage, along with their drum machine, with almost no lighting except for random flashes from behind them. Kicking the set off with their first single off the new album "U R A Fever" they launched into a number of tracks off of their 3rd album 'Midnight Boom'. The Kills have an almost hypnotic stage presence, the interplay between the two members charged with unspoken tension as they both jerk across the stage. Mosshart frequently made her way to the front of the stage to interact with the crowd, while Hince jerked back and forth across the stage, frequently playing off of Mosshart's actions. The highlight of the set came when they delved into their older material from 'Keep on Your Mean Side' such as "Kissy Kissy" and "Fried My Little Brains". They spoke little apart from thanking the audience profusely for coming out and after 45 minutes they left the stage, leaving The Black Keys fans quite confused as to whether or not they enjoyed it or not.

Headlining the day were The Black Keys however and the cheers began almost immediately after their drum kit was wheeled to the front of the stage; made up of drummer Patrick Carney, as well as guitarist and vocalist Dan Auberach. As they took the stage they launched right into "Girl Is on My Mind" off of their 3rd album 'Rubber Factory' and immediately the crowd started to move. Surprisingly some people began moshing to the music, to the dismay of most of those around them. However The Black Keys raw rock music was certainly encouraging of it. The Black Keys have frequently been compared to The White Stripes, mainly for their Guitarist and Drummer combination, however unlike The White Stripes, Carney can drum up a storm. Auberach was surprisingly active as well, moving across the stage and jumping around as the band played through a varied set, drawing from their latest release 'Attack and Release' and going back through their catalogue. The crowd was most enthused however during hit new songs such as the I-Phone advertising "Strange Times" and "Psychotic Girl". They left the stage after about 50 minutes and returned for a two songs encore, finally using the keyboard that had remained unused throughout the entire set before leaving for the night.


www.myspace.com/thekills
www.myspace.com/theblackkeys