Murder at The Masquerade

The Kills pounded Atlanta's skeez rock scene last Wednesday night. The band consists of only two members, guitarist Jamie Hince and vocalist Alison Mosshart, who is better known for her newer band, The Dead Weather- a super group formed with Jack White. Mosshart and Hince trampled the stage for fifteen songs and a four song encore. Mosshart led the band with two-thirds Joan Jett and one-third Stevie Nicks influence, as if she was once a pop lover, who was swooned by Detroit's depressed sludge rock scene.

All the while, Jamie Hince rocked just as hard, in his own right. He slammed on his guitar, as often as he actually played it, taking breaks to hold it up like a shotgun, reminiscent of the original Man In Black. Gothic tones intersecting American blues thundered from the stage, while a man with a bandana over his face hit floor toms for the duration of the show. It sounded as if the darkness of the Motor City scene, the sludge of today, and the wailing of 70 years ago had moved into Atlanta for a night.

Some of the city's alumni watched the show side stage including Jack White and Jack "Little Jack" Lawrence both from The Raconteurs and Dead Weather; all the while cheering on the The Kills as fans, not modern music tycoons. Nine songs into the night, the duo covered the country classic, "Crazy" by Patsy Cline. Hince played minimally, letting Mosshart and the crowd carry the tune to the hilt of emotion. They played their major hits- last year's hot tracks, "Future Starts Slow," "Satellite," "Heart Is A Beating Drum," as well as singles from their previous records. They also touched on some of the deeper cuts, such as "Sour Cherry" and "Monkey 23," from 2008's Midnight Boom and 2003's Keep On Your Mean Side. The crowd loved it, and even though there are two members in the band, not once did they fight for the attention of the crowd, rather the crowd was enraptured for nineteen songs.

In their ten year existence, The Kills haven't always been popular, but they've been consistent. They aren't striving for approval; but after seeing them live, you see that's exactly why they've obtained it.

Ben Israel Thompson