It was hipster central inside the dark, dingy walls of Mojo’s in Columbia, Mo., when indie buzz bands Cold War Kids and Tapes ‘N Tapes rolled into town on Oct. 19. Unfortunately, as the show kicked off, the hype couldn’t quite overcome the hubbub roused by the St. Louis Cardinals, who were in the midst of battling it out against the New York Mets for a spot in the World Series.
Not letting the half-attentive crowd affect their performance, Cold War Kids showed no remorse in bringing their raucous live act to the stage. The band bounced around spastically, especially bass player Matt Maust, who didn’t appear to cease momentum for even a second. Banging and thumping on any object in sight, the band pounded through a number of booze-drenched, bluesy rock songs off their debut, “Robbers and Cowards.”
After Yadier Molina’s tie-breaking home run, giddy-with-victory Cards fans slowly became more engaged as Cold War Kids launched into the bass-heavy, ramshackle “Hang Me Up To Dry” and the piano-led “Hospital Beds,” during which members of Tapes ‘n Tapes joined the Kids onstage.
As for Tapes ‘N Tapes’ set, the band couldn’t match the high energy of Cold War Kids, nor was their sound quality up to par. The bass was set way too high, drowning out most of the vocals and eliminating many of the nuances that make the Minneapolis quartet’s debut, “The Loon,” so exceptional.
Nonetheless, Tapes ‘N Tapes still delivered a solid performance, and the heavier sound pumped up straightforward album renditions of “Just Drums,” “In Houston,” and the crowd-pleasing “Insistor.”
The band exhibited a welcomed post-punk flair on “Beach Girls,” from its debut EP, as well as on “Cowbell,” marked by Gang Of Four-style angular guitar.
Aside from the shoddy sound mix, the biggest grievance of the night was the relatively unreceptive crowd, who failed to muster up enough enthusiasm to bring Tapes ‘N Tapes back onstage for an encore. Oddly enough, post-show discussion buzzed with how great both acts were. Those hipsters — what will we ever do with ’em?
Here is Cold War Kids’ set list:
“Saint John”
“We Used To Vacation”
“Passing the Hat”
“Rubidoux”
“Red Wine, Success”
“Hospital Beds”
“God, Make Up Your Mind”
Unknown song
“Hang Me Up To Dry”
Here is Tapes ‘n Tapes’ set list:
“Just Drums”
“The Iliad”
“Beach Girls”
“In Houston”
“Manitoba”
“50s Parking”
“Cowbell”
“Omaha”
“Buckle”
“Iceberg”
“10 Gallon Ascots”
“Insistor”
“Jakov’s Suite”
