When your first single receives the “best new music” stamp and a 9 rating from Pitchfork, people are going to take notice. And even though some bands might take this as a free pass to stardom, there was no attitude to be found from Cults at the 7th Street Entry on Friday night, who put on a fantastic, sweet little show.
Superhumanoids opened, along with the Magic Kids, bringing their own take on the music that all circled back to Cult’s 50s/60s updated pop sound. However, it was Superhumanoids vocals mixed dreamy electronic keys that proved to be the more engaging of the two, and the clear favorite of Cults, who kept giving the group shout outs throughout the performance.
Superhumanoids
Known “officially” as a duo (I say “officially,” as, aside from a bandcamp website, Cults are flying way, way under the radar), Cults in live iteration packed 5 musicians on stage, all with long, black hair, including the lovely Madeline Follin, who, along with Brian Oblivion, tackle vocals. In a style that reminded me of The XX, many of Cult’s songs had Follin and Oblivion trading vocals over bright, sunny pop tunes. Follin’s voice was mesmerizing, not in that it is incredibly powerful, but she had a way of pulling you into a song, most apparent when singing “Most Wanted” from the band’s 7”.
Near the end, Cults broke out that Pitchfork-praised single, “Go Outside.” The performance was fun and celebratory, even featuring some crowd surfing from the Superhumanoids members, which is pretty hilarious to see in the Entry. And yet, the best part of the show is that “Go Outside” wasn’t even the best song in the set. Things are looking way up for this group.
The crowd clearly wanted more too, cheering long after Cults left a stage. Then, a voice was heard: “Those are actually all the songs Cults has written, so…they won’t be coming back on stage. But they will come out and drink with you.”
Talented, charming, sweet and funny. Cults are about to blow up.
Below – Cults perform “Go Outside” at the Entry.
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