KEXP Yule Benefit, Day 2

Sunday 12/10 @ Neumo's
Juno
Ted Leo + the Pharmacists
Junior Boys
Cold War Kids
SOLD OUT!

Sunday was the much ballyhooed Part Two of the sold-out KEXP Yule Benefit. These are always great shows because the crowd is diverse and the mood is chill. The bands know they are playing for KEXP music afficionados like ourselves so they also tend to put on a slightly better show. Sunday was no exception. This odd line-up could have been flipped and nobody would have noticed, but that's exactly the strange mix we were hoping for.

We wrote about headliners Juno and Junior Boys here. Sure, we were excited to see those bands; but through an act of scheduling genius (nice move, KEXP) we were able to see the much-hyped Cold War Kids open the evening to a highly anticipative and packed room at Neumo's. Standing out in the rain listening to a quick sound check, we could tell this was a band ready to deliver. Cold War Kids came on stage and promptly went to work with the swagger we expected. While most bands start with a formal intro, CWK led right into their first song with merely a head nod. Clearly a tight band who have mastered their craft to a point where it's almost instinctive. No fancy outfits (jeans and plain white t-shirts were the norm) and no on-stage antics, this band went right to work playing all our favorites from their excellent new release Robbers & Cowards - an odd mixture of soul-tinged rock and blues. Some people describe the music as "weird," but they've done their best not to get cornered into one particular genre. The album is a mash of influences, but the live show had us hooked.

After the openers, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (fresh of their tour with Death Cab for Cutie) took the stage for an energetic set of post-punk goodness, brought only in a way Ted could bring it. Have you ever seen this band? Talk about an odd pairing. The bass player looks like he's in Wolfmother, Ted looks like a frontman in a ska band, and the drummer could pass as a lumberjack. Do they bring the rock? Yes. After a brief heckling session in which he called out Henry Rollins to a fight, and ridiculed several crowd members, Ted Leo and company finished a rollicking set of all their favorites and some new material. Talk about a great weekend of music.

Photo courtesy of Flickr / user Soundonthesound