There aren’t many bands out there I’d pick above Matt & Kim for a spring-time concert at the LC. After months of seemingly never ending dullness all we really want is something to make us happy to be alive again. And thankfully, that seems to be Matt & Kim’s one mission in life.
California based band Waters opened up the show and proved to be the perfect compliment to Matt & Kim as the five-piece warmed up the already packed crowd with their summer-time pop-rock that set the stage perfectly for what was to come.
Matt & Kim can be a bit of a tough sell to anyone that’s only heard them on record. The songs are in no way bad but they lack a lot of what makes this two piece so good – The incredible live show. It’s almost unreal how two people can whip up a crowd like the Brooklyn duo can. Sure, Matt still can’t really sing and Kim’s dancing sometimes gets a little cringe-worthy, but the chemistry they have together just pours out into the crowd and slaps a smile onto even the most miserable of people.
The set featured a fine selection of old and new songs, along with the usual mash-up of samples and dance beats played in between songs as the duo jumped around the LC’s indoor stage. Kim beat the crap out of her drums and Matt mixed up his energetic fist-throws between infectious keyboard chords. The only minor low point of the evening came with a slightly awkward Matt-plays-guitar cameo that didn’t quite work for me.
Not much has really changed in Matt & Kim world over the past five albums. The songs kinda sound the same and the live show is pretty much what it was a few years ago. But that’s actually a silly thing to pick at, kinda like complaining that now winter is over it’s going to be nice outside for the next five months.
Some things weren’t meant to change, they’re just meant to make you happy.
Matt Ellis is a freelance photographer who covers bands that visit the city and the Columbus Crew MLS team. More about Matt can be found at Matt Ellis Photography.