Nothing says Wednesday night like a little rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, and this tight, rollicking set by Icelandic foursome Kaleo was more than worth braving some torrential rain. Kaleo (made up of drummer Dav\u00ed\u00f0 Antonsson, bassist Dan\u00edel \u00c6gir Kristj\u00e1nsson, lead guitarist Rubin Pollock, and J\u00f6kull J\u00fal\u00edusson on vocals and guitars) has been stateside for about a year now, and I\u2019ve been following their single releases like a trail of breadcrumbs toward rock greatness for what feels about as long. They\u2019ve been building a quietly steady buzz for awhile now and seem poised to break through, being tapped as one of Rolling Stone<\/i>‘s up-and-coming acts to watch and seeing their single \u201cNo Good\u201d featured in the commercial to the new HBO show Vinyl. <\/i>So, grabbing the chance to see these guys headline at the Bowery Ballroom in New York before they blow up was a no-brainer. <\/p>\n
Opener firekid (aka Dillon Hodges) got the crowd warmed up with his unique blend of bluegrass and pop. His sound pairs warm, enveloping country-tinged melodies with glitchy electronic beats, putting a modern and engaging spin on this intersection of genres. A few fun facts: Hodges is the second-youngest person to ever win the National Flatpicking Guitar Championship, and he\u2019s recently begun releasing what he calls \u201cchiptunes,\u201d 8-bit covers of popular songs programmed using a Game-Boy. If you like to get down with some good genre-defying tracks, definitely check out firekid\u2019s recent full-length debut!<\/p>\n
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And now, for the main event. From the moment they took the stage, Kaleo held the crowd in the palm of their hands. If I could describe the Kaleo sound, I\u2019d liken them to a mix between the blues-rock of the Black Keys, with the anthemic quality of Mumford & Sons, and a little Bon Iver-esque tenderness thrown in.<\/p>\n
And what I\u2019m loving most about the band is their ability to transition seamlessly between styles, which has been showcased in their handful of single releases thus far. Show opener \u201cNo Good\u201d is muscular, throbbing rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, J\u00fal\u00edusson occupying a vocal space somewhere between Robert Plant and Steven Tyler; \u201cCan\u2019t fight the temptation when you get the vibration \/ Won\u2019t do you no good,\u201d comes his energized yowl as the guitar cascades around him. <\/p>\n
But they\u2019re just as effective on the quietly lovely, mid-tempo ballad \u201cAll The Pretty Girls,\u201d all delicate falsetto vocals and softly strummed acoustic guitar. By the song\u2019s end, it morphed into a full-bodied swirl, and the crowd joined in to form a singing, swaying mass along with them. One of the standout moments came early in the show with new single \u201cI Can\u2019t Go On Without You,\u201d which positively drips in bluesy gloriousness and lovelorn swagger. \u201cThey thought they were made for each other \/ Only thinking of one another \/ Never thinking for just one second \/ She could take a different attraction\u201d begins this slow-burning cut, an instant crowd pleaser. Pollock\u2019s guitar soloing here is particularly sublime, but every band member has a chance to shine in this six-minute epic. <\/p>\n