The Vanity, Elliot Moss, Cold War Kids, House of Blues, Dallas -

DALLAS – Friday, March, I had a last minute opportunity cover Cold War Kids at House of Blues Dallas for Through the Lens. After fighting an hour of Dallas traffic and sprinting across several lanes of traffic, I made it! With credentials in hand, the first thing I noticed; how different the crowd was compared to most shows at HOB. Most audience members were well dressed, young adults and middle aged parents. Everyone seemed to be a bit hesitant to gather close to the barricade. That changed once the opening act, The Vanity, took the stage. Throughout the night crowd participation grew, and for good reason, all of the bands were incredible.

To describe The Vanity one could imagine if James Dean were frontman in a punk and southern infused alternative rock band. Can’t imagine what that would look/sound like? Go check out the Austin based band here. Not only was their stage presence impeccable, but the tunes that these guys are putting out are outstanding. They just recently dropped their first EP, “Strangers”. The young band was a fantastic opener and absolutely showed that they have the potential to grow their fan base.

Singer songwriter, Elliott Moss took the stage next. The best way to describe him would be well constructed, indie noise. It felt like the type of music you would listen to on the drive home from a bar, or when you’re wanting to relax in a drug induced fashion. Not my cup of tea, but the audience members seemed to get really into it. The downside to this type of music is that the band members are so involved with making music that they don’t really move about the stage, however, this seemed to help with their appeal to the older audience. On a side note, their guitar player not only had a pedal board but also a pedal table. An actual table, filled with pedals and other guitar tone modifiers.

Before the show, I’d heard nothing but fabulous things about Cold War Kids. When you review and photograph shows you tend hear good things about the bands. However, most of the time they’re not that great. With Cold War Kids, they not only met all of the highly rated reviews I had heard, they exceeded them. They were on point musically as well as commanded the stage with an absolute grace and authority. You weren’t just focused on the front man, like with most live acts. You were focused on the band as a cohesive unit. Your focus constantly switched between each member, only to return in awe to how good they were together. The crowd ate up every second, every movement. This band knew exactly what the crowd was expecting, and was determined to go above and beyond all of that. They absolutely succeeded. This isn’t just a band you should see, this is a band that you need to see.