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The Kills put friendship center stage at First Avenue

February 13, 2024

The Kills performed at First Avenue with The Paranoyds on February 12, 2024. Darin Kamnetz for MPR

For the Kills’ Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, their 20-plus-year artistic partnership looks to be going strong. The duo seamlessly wove together bluesy riffs and sonic booms from electronic drums and bass, charming a sea of dedicated fans Monday night at First Avenue.

The Kills’ sixth studio album, God Games, arrived in 2023 – seven years after Ash & Ice. To write much of this ambitious album, Hince put his guitar down in favor of piano and encouraged Mosshart to buy a cheap keyboard to play and write. Recorded in an old church, God Games is dark, dreamy, and gritty. The apocalyptic feel of the pandemic is in there, too. Nine of the album’s 12 tracks featured in their set Monday night.

The four-piece Paranoyds kicked off the night. Hailing from Los Angeles, the band’s sun-drenched licks and psychedelia-tinged, fuzzed-out lo-fi punk would be perfect for La Luz or Habibi fans. Together, Lexi Funston primarily on guitar, Laila Hashemi on keys, Staz Lindes primarily on bass, and David Ruiz on drums sound like they would be right at home in a skateboarding promo.

The Paranoyds performing on stage. — The Paranoyds. The Kills performed at First Avenue with The Paranoyds on February 12, 2024.
Darin Kamnetz for MPR

Throughout a 45-minute set, Funston and Lindes swapped lead vocals and instruments, each taking their moments to shine. Funston could sing both melodically and apathetically talk-sing. Lindes, meanwhile, has a lower register, and Hashemi added harmonies. Together, their vocals packed a sonic punch. They oozed a cool-girl rock’n’roll aesthetic in baggy jeans, button ups, slinky shirts and shags. Slick, grooving bass lines kept the bouncing guitar from getting too poppy and added a layer of grime to their tight set. Hashemi’s thin, whizzing synths added a bit of whimsy and, occasionally, menace. Ruiz kept time with his crisp drumming and had a powerful drum solo at the end of the set. The group’s connection was obvious onstage.

That feeling of camaraderie carried into the Kills’ performance. Even with some recorded textures from God Games less apparent, nothing surges with power like the twosome’s live performance.

Mosshart and Hince emerged onto a sparsely decorated stage with a sparkling silver backdrop. Hince was decked out in a grey suit with a few heavy gold chains around his neck. Even when not chain-smoking, Mosshart’s bad girl aesthetic still remains. Her shock of peroxide-blonde hair floated in an electrified halo around her head. A loose-fitting button-up with silver collar and seam embellishments details, painted-on black jeans, and wedge heels completed her look.

Alison "VV" Mosshart on stage — The Kills performed at First Avenue with The Paranoyds on February 12, 2024.
Darin Kamnetz for MPR

Both grabbed guitars and launched into the twangy “Kissy Kissy” from their 2003 album, Keep On Your Mean Side. The slow-burning intro sizzled and set the tone for an energetic set. Throughout, the drum machine boomed with ribcage-and-floor-rattling blasts. Hince brought rollicking guitar riffs on “URA Fever;” and ping-ponged low, thunderous, grinding notes and dissonant high squeals on “Going to Heaven.” His grimy guitar tone perfectly matched Mosshart’s sexy, smoky vocals. Her pipes were slightly obscured by Hince’s guitar in the mix during the first song, but it got sorted out quickly. During “Love and Tenderness,” she unleashed guttural yowls from the edges of her voice while fully under control. Other songs smoldered sensually like “New York” when she sang, “You taste just like New York before a storm takes hold,” while holding a hand over her eyes and caressing her lips. During crowd favorites “Black Balloon” and “Future Starts Slow,” her whispers, oohs, and growls hypnotized.

All the while, Hince flirted relentlessly with the crowd. He pulled faces, winking and grinning, and had them all under his spell, summoning applause just by raising his upturned hand. Mosshart’s whirling hair was a tornado of motion. She sauntered around the stage with a glimmer in her eye like a big cat stalking their prey, and fell to her knees while gripping the mic stand like a brass knuckle and whipping it to and fro.

In between songs came gratitude for the crowd – but the performance itself was the ultimate gift. They shared lots of eye contact, huge grins, a few hugs and loving kisses, and got on the mic together. Witnessing two bands living out sincere friendship onstage left the crowd wasted from the lovefest – just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The Kills

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