
On Sunday night, the Clift Hotel in San Francisco continued their successful free concert series run with a performance from the New York Indie Lo-Fi band the Cults. Having just formed as a band in 2010, this project has already begun to build up a fast growing fan base. Knowing that they had sold out their show at Bottom of the Hill in just one day, I arrived at the venue over an hour before they were scheduled to take the stage. There was already a strong line wrapping around the block and down the street. The line of fans finally started flowing into the swanky hotel after a long wait and wondering if I would even get in to see the show.
The concert area was already packed and buzzing. We were greeted by another 40-minute wait, allowing us time to enjoy some expensive drinks. Finally Cults took the stage to the excitement of all of those who had been patiently waiting. They kicked off their set with “Abducted”—the first track off of their debut self-titled album. This song has a soft intro and picks up into an upbeat spoken word style exchange between members Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion.
Throughout the set, the similarities between the Cults and the 60’s girl groups, which they likely draw their inspiration, was extremely evident. This was strongly heard on “Most Wanted” which contains retro vocals mixed perfectly with a similar throwback pop sound. With a few screams from Madeline Follin, in between songs, they continued their set with “You Know What I Mean”. This is a slow moving anthem that has the feel of a song taken straight off of Jenny Lewis’s 2008 solo release Acid Tongue.
Featuring a xylophone intro, they played “Go Outside”. This song sounds very cheery, but also has a little darkness thrown into the background with a sample taken from the infamous Jim Jones (Cult Leader/Killer). They slowed down their set with “Rave On” before closing the night out with their eerie reverb driven song “Oh My God”.
They will be playing a sold-out show tonight (July 25) at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
July 26 – Mondrian – Los Angeles, CA
July 27 – Echo – Los Angeles, CA
July 28 – Center for the Arts – Eagle Rock, CA
July 29 – Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
You can pick up the debut self-titled release from the Cults on Amazon
Stay Connected with Cults on Facebook
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