gig review: wild nothing & local natives

wild nothing live @ kool haus

last week i attended the wild nothing/local natives gig in toronto. i had never been so last minute with purchasing concert tickets. i literally got it the day before. local natives came to toronto last year (if i'm not mistaken) but it was 19+, so i was REALLY gutted. plus, i was also a bit pissed because the gig was all ages this time. before going into the actual event itself, can i please rant about how expensive the tickets were? it was by far the priciest concert i went to ($35), which doesn't seem much compared to prices back home. usually, tickets are max $30, or if the venue is pretty low-key it can be $15 (which some locals still find quite pricey). but idk, i should be grateful because tickets in singapore and australia are double that price. sorry guys.

ever since the tame impala gig, i've been to a few concerts here which has made me develop expectations and standards in terms of the crowd. i was already dreading of the thought of being suffocated by the smoke of pot, sweat and beer. but this time was different. apparently local natives attract those who are in their mid-late 20s, and my friend described this crowd as "responsible adults who would do acid instead of weed". i can see how and why the music would attract this demographic though. the songs aren't that danceable thus the crowd would attend to appreciate the music more than to physically respond to it as you would at a foals concert (not that people who go to foals' shows don't appreciate the music). i'm just saying that in contrast to foals/tame impala/phoenix/etc, the rather dominant aspect of becoming physically feral during their concerts isn't so important.

the first band to play was wild nothing. holy crap. i don't know if i'm over-exaggerating this, but, they were the most ideal live band ever. i'm trying to think of a better word than 'ideal' but it's the only one that stuck to me during their performance. i've only listened to a bit of their album "nocturne" so i had a little sense of what they sounded like, but i really didn't expect them to be THAT good. the vibe was just perfect; the synths made the whole room feel cozy but the catchy guitar riffs kept us dancing and entertained. it was the ideal middle-ground of sad and happy, which parallels with my mood lately. also, dayum the lead singer is so attractive. (i really can't write up specific comments about their set because i'm not too familiar with their songs, but hey, they played them very well if that counts.)

local natives @ kool haus

the crowd became more lively when local natives came on. the band definitely fulfilled my expectations. their harmonies were spot-on and breathtaking. at one point they played talking heads'  "warning sign", which they sang the first verse in acapella. oh my god. i literally stood still in pure amazement, speechless. honestly, i don't have much to say about the concert. it was expected, it was good, it was enjoyable. i mean, what more can you want from a show? i think this is the beginning of a transitional phase where meeting bands, being in the front row, etc aren't that big of a deal. i'm starting to realize that bands consist of people just people like us (god so cheesy). unless they're, like, the beatles.

in conclusion, it was a great concert (don't you wish uni essays can close like this). go see local natives and/or wild nothing (looking at you singaporeans) when you have the chance!

sorry for this lame review, guys.