Live Review: Cold War Kids, Verge Collection

Fremantle was bustling as a string of Perthians anxiously lined up outside Metropolis to see indie-rockers Cold War Kids live and in the flesh.

The boys from local band Verge Collection were up first. These four unassuming lads took to the stage with little fuss, before bursting into a plethora of breezy tracks with total finesse. Lead vocalist Ben Arnold kept his cool as he broke his guitar string mid-song, casually grabbing a standby and getting back to it without missing a beat. The boys had the crowd bopping their heads and tapping their toes, a couple of punters so caught up in the groove they accidentally bumped into surrounding folk on more than one occasion. Earworm after earworm helped punters chase away their Sunday night blues.

The hooting and hollering had started well before Cold War Kids had even come on stage, with fans doing some vocal warm-ups in preparation for the act to come. Before long, sizzling riffs and unmatchable beats had the crowd stomping their feet and punching the air triumphantly.

Unlike a lot of international bands that have graced our shores in the past, Cold War Kids seemed to actually give a shit about their performance. Not an ounce of energy was wasted, the band pushing themselves until sweat was dripping and veins were popping. Though stage banter was kept to a minimum, each track was so scorchingly intense that the crowd could just tell that the guys were giving them their all. Louder Than Ever got the crowd going, while Audience offered a slightly more chilled-out groove. A collective cry of approval filled the room as the band launched into Hang Me Up To Dry, fans wailing along to Nathan Willett's vocals.

Fans were beaming as they shuffled out of the venue, with some keen to keep the singalong going well after the gig had wrapped up. All in all, it's safe to say that these guys were well worth the trek to Freo.