This past Monday, Hinds played their first Chicago show at Thalia Hall with opening band Cold Fronts. Even though it was a cold night in October, they brought some sunshine from Madrid to Thalia Hall’s ‘In the Round’ stage (which is actually rectangular, but I digress).
Before the show, I was completely unfamiliar with Cold Fronts. However, the Philadelphia band’s dynamic stage presence and upbeat garage sound was right at home in Chicago. They took advantage of Thalia Hall’s “In The Round” style stage and put on a seamless yet chaotic performance that ended up weaving throughout the audience and on top of the bar.
After Cold Fronts’ set and a quick run for some delicious salty popcorn, Hinds took the stage and put on a show that can be best described by the sticker on guitarist Carlotta Cosial’s Danelectro: Girls Are Awesome. The crowd was buzzing and I could hear people saying things like, “They’re the cutest people ever” or “Oh my god they are sooo gorgeous”. Don’t get me wrong, Hinds is a group of grade A babes, but they are so much more than some pretty faces playing tunes. These Madrid rockers balance coolness and chaos in their stage presence and in their sound. They balance love-laced lyrics and retro guitar rhythms with Amber Grimbo’s powerful drumming and their all around girl power magic.
The best part of the show (it’s hard to pick one) was their encore when they played their cover of Davey Crockett by Thee Headcoatees. My friend Anissa and I (Hi Anissa!!) had been chanting and yelling for them to play Davey to a point where guitarist Ade Martin turned around and shook her head at Anissa. The moment between our impression that they were not going to play Davey Crockett and when the first chord rang out was an emotional rollercoaster.
I’m hoping to see and hear more Hinds on stage and while I’m dancing in my pajamas at home. If you haven’t checked them out or bought tickets to see them on their Leave Me Alone tour, then you ought to drop what you’re doing.
by Hayley Robertson
slimetimemag.com 