‘DAVEY CROCKETT!!!!!!!!!!!’ yells a lone, inebriated voice once Hinds have barely gotten through their opening song. The girls look at each other before chuckling and shaking their heads, apparently amused by this outburst. It is not long, however, before more chants and demands of ‘DAVEY CROCKETT’ are shouted at every possible break in the set, and it comes as no surprise, really. With their long-awaited debut set for release only in January of next year, the Madrid four-piece have garnered a large and dedicated cult following that even they can’t seem to believe. Tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn is their biggest headline show in New York yet, the penultimate date of their month-long tour of the United States (with Public Access TV in support, no less), and it doesn’t take long for New York to be utterly charmed and entranced by the Madrid band.
The chants, of course, refer to the much beloved, fan favourite Thee Headcoats cover of ‘Davey Crockett’ Hinds have released, which has usually been left until the end of the set (and goes hand-in-hand with a now customary stage invasion). The band are barely finished with their opening songs, however, and it is still a long way to go for ‘Davey Crockett’; they begin with a couple of new tracks that are sure to have been taken from their forthcoming album, as well as the endearing ‘Trippy Gum’ and ‘Between Cans’ that are lo-fi, lovable garage pop numbers.
“We have to tell you a secret,” guitarist and vocalist Carlotta Cosials tells the crowd with a grin after they perform ‘Chilli Town’. That’s another thing about Hinds. It’s just so clear that they’re all having the time of their lives – drummer Amber Grimbergen can’t seem to stop smiling the entire night – and all four members just radiate an effortless charm. “That song we just played… was our very first time to play it on tour, so we are still a little bit nervous playing it, but that seemed to be okay…” Her qualms are immediately silenced with the crowd’s immediate cheers, but still Carlotta remains determined to stake claim with the crowd. She waves off the cheers impatiently, insistent that the audience accept their faults. Doing so ultimately humanizes the band, as if it were possible for Hinds to endear themselves to their fans even more. It stems, in a way, from their sense of perfectionism – grounded attitude – as musicians.
“This is our third ever show in New York,” she continues. “The first two times we played here… were a little bit not good, but so far… this seems to be all right…”
It’s more than all right. Breakthrough single ‘Bamboo’ is the band’s best-received number yet, the jangly guitars and angsty dual voices of Carlotta and Ana Perrote combining in a garage punk explosion. The chorus is chanted back to the band by the crowd – “I want you to call me by my name when I’m lying on your legs” – and it is a delightful celebration of scuzzy guitar work laid across undercurrents of some slight ’60s swing pop. Tracks like ‘Chili Town’ are sweet pop numbers that are extremely cathartic to sing aloud: “Saliva mixed with lies / my smile is oversized / forever yours, right?”, while the smattering of new tracks that the band offer hint to an inevitably strong debut.
It is when Hinds perform their strongest track to date – ‘Garden’ (that features some unbelievable bass work by Ade Martin) – that it seems that the set has reached its peak, its pinnacle moment, its climax. It’s their latest single, and sounds like the audio lovechild of something of a cross between a Mac deMarco-composed track and early decade Strokes material. When Cosials sings the last bit of the verse she immediately turns her back to the crowd, tears filling her eyes, visibly moved and emotionally overcome by the fantastic reception the band have received.
By the time the long-awaited and long-anticipated ‘Davey Crockett’ comes to end the set, if any of the band had any doubts over their performance, they are immediately gone. The track is a wonderfully, endearingly, delightfully shambolic endeavour – collective, voice-cracking shouts of “GABBA GABBA HEY” flood the Music Hall – and it doesn’t take long for the entire stage and all four members to be drowned by adoring fans. The three guitarists are immediately engulfed in a sea of people that are also shouting “GABBA GABBA HEY!!!!” into the mics, the band going dangerously missing for a brief seconds. The look of pure, unadulterated joy that is apparent on all of the members’ faces is ironic, really; it is the sort of emotion that is evoked upon listening to the wonderful music that is made by Hinds. We can’t wait to have you back, so now go and release that classic album.
Words by Cady Siregar