It has only been less than a year and Frankie Cosmos has graciously returned to San Diego for another show. This time she is back with her new album, Vessels, through Sub Pop records. A band with years of hype and now on a major indie label (oxymoron) could fall into the pressure of needing to sound grandeur but instead she has consciously chosen to refine her sound for this release. A bold move in itself to the internet hype cycle that a band can fall into. I have seen Frankie Cosmos last summer, which was a great show but I am getting the feeling she didn’t like San Diego. There was a feeling of frustration for the audience who was very rowdy and moshing at the show. It’s very understandable on her part because sometimes mosh pit can be unwanted by the other audience members and it pushes people who aren’t moshing to the back or the side who don’t want to get injured. This time around, a lot of growth has and maturity has happened for Frankie Cosmos. They have a new album on Sup Pop records, Vessels, to tour behind and they have brought two bands, Lomelda and Ian Sweet in support of them. Frankie Cosmos had returned to a sold out show at Queen Bees and they have never sounded so powerful.
Before I get into covering the show, I want to bring up how unintentionally perfect Queen Bee’s was as a venue for this show. I think the show was originally billed to be at the Quartyard, but was changed to Queen Bee’s. When walking in, the mood was already set with purple lighting which matched the front woman Greta Kline’s guitar. The stage looked like one for an auditorium for a middle school dance. That was very fitting to the intimacy and the honesty of the music.
The band opened with “Carmelized” which doubles as the opener to the album. There is nothing flashy about the band. They are dressed modestly and preferred to look at their instruments than at the crowd. This is not because they aren’t confident in their music but they’re focus in a very amicable way. Though the band was radiating coy energy, their sound was as big as ever. The simplicity of the pop instrumentation is direct and to the point. It is beautiful as it is, without having to beat around the bush or anything. Some highlights for me were “Alive” when the band backs up the chorus, which also includes singer of Lomelda who is touring with them. They end the set with “Too Dark” off their previous release, “Next Thing.” The set was beefed with a lot of songs, but knowing how daunting her discography is, left hardcore fans a little more to be desired. All in all, it was another wonderful performance from Frankie Cosmo. Ian Sweet and Lomelda played equally great sets and its really cool to see a such a great lineup touring together. I thank the Soda Bar for booking such a great show to San Diego. I also want to recognize the venue Queen Bee’s which an amazing staff that were very accommodating to the audience as well as to all the bands.
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