The last few years have been very good for the Florida indie-emo act Pool Kids. Alongside the release of their third LP, Easier Said Than Done, which was released last year, the Tallahassee quartet have played alongside Free Throw, Tigers Jaw and The Wonder Years and got approval from Paramore while supporting Sunny Day Real Estate. While based about as far from the Midwest as you can get in the continental United States, Pool Kids blend Midwest emo-style guitars with lush, pop-inspired vocals for an accessible yet complex and unique sound.
Vocalist and guitarist Christine Goodwyne oozes effortless cool, effortlessly shredding through surprisingly intricate math-rock-tinged hits like ‘That’s Physics Baby’ while belting her heart out and jumping around the stage. While excelling at hard-hitting, punk-infused bangers, Pool Kids also deliver a handful of softer indie tracks that fit in better with the headliner’s sing-along style, like the set closer ‘Conscious Uncoupling’, without losing an ounce of their bouncy stage presence. Through their thirty-minute set of indie, Midwest emo and energetic punk-rock, Pool Kids get the packed crowd suitably warmed up for the night of hits to come.
It would be impossible to talk about the state of indie rock in the 21st century without mentioning Seattle-based trailblazers Death Cab For Cutie. With a generational run of albums in the 2000s and 2010s, including genre-defining hits Transatlanticism, Plans and Codes And Keys as well as consistent work for close to three decades, the five-piece led by frontman Ben Gibbard honour their latest victory lap, I Built You A Tower, with a sold-out show in the main room of Bristol’s Prospect Building.
While the band’s latest album and career-defining hits loom over the night, almost every album gets at least a brief moment in the spotlight, with the grandiose ‘Roman Candles’ from 2022’s Asphalt Meadows earning an early slot in the set. Although best known for their minimalist work, tracks like ‘Punching The Flowers’ manage to sound dense and huge, making full use of a trio of guitars and lush keyboard textures.
Despite being far from a one-hit wonder, one single stands tall among Death Cab For Cutie’s discography: 2005’s ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’, a melancholy and honest ballad which sees Gibbard standing alone with only his voice and an acoustic guitar, leaving the audience so stunned you could hear a pin drop before they erupt into a multi-layered choir for the chorus.
Ending their set on the dynamic, acoustic-led Plans track ‘Soul Meets Body’ and the spoken word-based ‘Foxglove Through The Clearcut’ before returning for an encore featuring deep cuts ‘Champagne From A Paper Cup’ and ‘Marching Bands of Manhattan’ before closing out on the title track from Transatlanticism, Death Cab For Cutie, justify their spot as one of the indie-rock world’s most treasured gems.
