This was the second time I’ve seen the French Kicks live. I have two of their albums “Trial of the Century” and “Swimming,” so I was already a fan going in. The first time I saw the French Kicks at the Casbah, they seemed extremely bored and “over it.” I figured it must be a New York thing. I was expecting a similar performance this time, especially since it was a Monday evening, but my expectations were thankfully crushed.

The French Kicks were lively & engaging, and their music was awesome. Their sound is pure, starting off quiet & modestly, crescendoing to pounding guitars and drums. The lead singer, Nick Stumpf is not afraid of falcetto, and rarely came out of it. Stumpf was also not afraid to share the limelight, with three of the songs during the set, “Carried Away,” “With the Fishes,” and “Said So What,” sung by Josh Wise. The French Kicks’ music is something you could put on and listen to in repeat: it is soothing, airy, and original, with poetic lyrics. They seem to encompass the “in” crowd sound of New York, with a similar sound to The Dodos. Their live performance was entrancing, although there were a few flat notes and a slight stumble during a guitar solo. However, the crowd loved it and overall the show was awesome.