Rolling on to the American scene with the help of headlining act Bad Suns, COASTS were ready to impress the small crowd at the Union Transfer on the 16th on their first visit to the US and the city of brotherly love: Philadelphia. Accompanying said headlining act, the two bands made a marvellous pair of indie rock.
The five-piece hit the stage with boundless energy, beginning their set with ‘Wallow’, unable to be ignored by the crowd who I’m guessing had never heard of the Bristol-based band. Thankfully there was no awkward shuffling of feet or an entire audience starring at their phones; instead they were revelling in the excitement and zest the band brought to the stage. With a repetitive chorus and lively riffs, even those not familiar with the band were singing along by the end of the set.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnS89mks4Y4&w=740&h=422]
‘Oceans’ was the most well-known song and the song COASTS closed their short set with, frontman Chris Caines encouraging everyone to dance through his own animated dance moves. How could you not dance along? With a tropical sound fitting the song name and an alternative eighties sound, complete with synths, the song is meant for jamming. Once again the crowd was singing the charming chorus by the end: “We fell in love / Right by the ocean / Made all our plans / Down on the sand” There was no other place you would rather be than in the sun – since it was approximately 12 degrees Fahrenheit and snowing at the time!
The UK band had certainly hyped up the crowd for the performance of Bad Suns, the indie outfit everyone was awaiting. Kicking off their set with ‘Transpose’, the audience quickly become enthralled by their confidence and ability to command the stage, an acquired skill that landed them their first headlining tour here in the US. Right after they relaxed into ‘Take My Love and Run’, an upbeat summery song that had the audience swaying their hips throughout. Front man Christo Bowman brings a type of aura that you can’t help but relax into with every song, even the most upbeat like ‘Dancing on Quicksand’. It was a night to let loose and dance along with the crowd and Bowman’s bouncy dance moves. Everyone seemed very relaxed and it was one of the calmest crowds I had ever been in it, which fits the easy-going self confidence that Bad Suns give off.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ-12-sFpLs&w=740&h=422]
When the band began playing the opening chords of ‘Cardiac Arrest’ the crowd sprang to life and 500+ voices joined in the chorus to sing “I’ll try my best, how much do I invest / Like cardiac arrest, high voltage when we kiss”. Bad Suns have catchy lyrics that make it easy to sing along and involve even the newest of fans. The most electric part of the night was their encore, their final song being another one of their singles ‘Salt’. With the crowd riled up after chanting for an encore, Bad Suns delivered with another song that just makes you want to move.
Both COASTS and Bad Suns gave their all to the stage. With COASTS being on their first US tour and Bad Suns on their first headliner, the pressure was on, yet both bands brought their A-game. COASTS will be returning to the US in May and I can only hope that Bad Suns return to the East Coast soon as well!
Words by Tori Fortuna
[Photo by Trent Siggard]