Last Monday, Frankie Cosmos and Kero Kero Bonito co-headlined The Fillmore Theatre in San Francisco. This initially seemed like an odd choice for a show. KKB’s first two albums were synth-pop heavily influenced by J-pop and video game music. In their third and latest album, Time ‘n’ Place (2018), KKB swapped synths out for instruments and released an indie-rock album heavy with guitar fuzz. Both of these sounds are radically different from the more relaxed  indie-pop of Frankie Cosmos, who’s music almost verges on that of a singer-songwriter. However, the bands ended up complementing each other well. With Kero Kero Bonito up first, people danced their hearts away and were subsequently tired enough to enjoy Frankie Cosmos’s more low-key music.

KKB’s lead singer Sarah Perry was charismatic and energetic. She drew from the band’s J-Pop roots in her performance and danced in the fashion of an indie-pop idol. Two of their more popular songs are called “Flamingo” and “Pocket Crocodile,” and as Sarah pranced around the stage she grabbed flamingo and crocodile stuffed animals to strike poses with. Her carefree and happy demeanor translated nicely to the crowd. The entire theatre was dancing right along with Sarah and having a blast.

KKB’s music was right in line with expectations. They were musically talented and seamlessly incorporated traditional instruments and synths. The band was as musically excited as Sarah was performative and her act was only enhanced by the music fueling it.

Frankie Cosmos contrasted with this well. For them it was more about the music and less about the performance. The most dancing we got out of front-woman Greta Kline was her closing her eyes and swaying back and forth while singing. While this stage presence from the lead singer may have been too minimal for others, I appreciated that it was not just the Greta Kline show. She unquestionably has an incredible voice and anchors the band, but their best moments were the ones in which everyone was playing.

One thing Frankie Cosmos managed to do exceptionally well was transition from the segments of the whole band to the quieter ones comprised of just Kline’s voice and a single instrument. They hit the low to high volume switch with perfection.

At one point in the concert Kline declared that they would play their more laidback songs, which prompted  the bassist, Alex Bailey, and drummer, Luke Pyensen, to leave the stage. Unfortunately, the crowd didn’t want to sit in awkward silence while she sang the song “Young,” and people began attempting to clap along — incredibly off beat, I might add.

Despite this hiccup, Frankie Cosmos and KKB balanced each other out like two sides of a coin. KKB exhausted the crowd from an hour of dancing and energy exertion, while Frankie Cosmos came in to close it out by putting their utmost effort into the sound of their set. If this tour is coming to a theatre near you I highly recommend going.  

Article and Photos by Mark Selden

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