Venue: Rod Laver Arena
Date: 14th November 2007
Reviewed By: Lyn. Photograph by Mark Geisel.
Tonight I saw San Diego ’s coolest new band, Louis XIV. A harmonised, dark eyed, sultry 6 piece all bloke band that formed in 2003. American garage rock!
A violin was a nice change in a band and the backing singer Brian Karscig has an amazing voice, very melodic, almost to the point of sounding feminine. Not to say the lead singer, Jason Hill, wasn’t good - he was a rock dude, going off like a raw prawn out front, working the crowd, and the crowd seemed to work right back! Drummer, Mark Maiggard, threw out a few sticks to a very pleased crowd to finish off their set. The only fault with this show was the sound was way too loud, not very pleasant on the ears.
Next on stage was Howling Bells, I was looking forward to seeing them as I’d liked what music I’d heard. They formed in 2005 and are a home-brewed 4 piece Australian band now living in the UK . Juanita Stein, the sultry singer in black, sang like a gypsy with her rich, crisp, mature voice. Thankfully the sound was much better and the moody red and blue lights started the set. They suited a big venue okay but a smaller venue would be more fitting. Juanita announced they have released a special CD to coincide with this tour. I did think the singer may have been a bit more of a rock chick out front but they all put on a great show with some groovy rock tunes. Their set ended with the hit tune ‘Low Happening’.
With a second show at Rod Laver arena almost sold out I must admit I didn’t realise just how big a band The Killers had become. Seeing them at BDO in Jan I was looking forward to seeing them in their own show and inside! A white curtain was hoisted up so the front crowd couldn’t see what was going on. We on the side could see Christmas lights, roses and other flowers all decorating the stage – over amps and keyboards. The keyboards seemed to be covered in some weird white structures almost Star Wars like, but when the big lights went on later I realised they were supposed to be antlers! With ‘Sam’s Town’ in large writing on the wall above the stage, red velvet curtains around the stage hanging from the lights, it looked very cool! As the crowd waited a Mexican wave started. The next minute the lights went down, the audience screamed with happiness and boom visuals were projected onto the white curtain till eventually it was pulled down and lights went on stage and the band started and confetti exploded out into the middle of the floor. It all looked fantastic!
Brandon Flowers in suit and blue bow tie was up and down on wooden crates which were front of stage for some leverage and he continually walked up and down which pleased the punters. Brandon commented ‘This is not a tennis match; it’s a Killer’s show’! When You Were Young and Bones were some of the first songs. Brandon wooed some girls in the front by throwing them flowers from the stage, then they went into tunes like Smile Like You Mean It and Jenny Was a Friend of Mine. The guitarist David Keuning reminded me of an 80’s guy in an 80’s band, he was seriously making love to that guitar, it was like the guitar was part of this body, and he would speak to the audience with passion. I couldn’t quite see the bassist, Mark Stoermer, he seemed to be rather concentrated on his playing. Drummer Ronnie Vannucci was like a wild man playing his drums. A big highlight for me is always Somebody Told Me, which was played very early on in the set. Wild, Sam’s Town, Uncle Jonny and Read My Mind were to follow then Mr Brightside.
Louis XIV came back out to do a cover of the Frankie Valli song Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, and they all seemed rather mischievous by then - maybe a few drinks off stage! Next treat (if that is the right word) was the song All These Things That I’ve Done and out came people in pig and corn outfits, running around stage. I’m not sure what that was all about but I couldn’t take my eyes off them!
The Killers came, we saw, we were their victims.
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