by photojournalist Jeffrey Moellering
The first week of June brought a star-studded Southern California triple-billing of indie bands to Jannus live, featuring Young the Giant, Cold War Kids, and opener almost monday. The show was originally scheduled for Tampa’s Yuengling Center, but was moved to St. Pete a day later. Fans didn’t seem to mind a bit, as they showed up en masse, ready to rock on a Wednesday.
San Diego’s almost monday brought a burst of California sunshine to the stage with an early 6:30 start time, delivering an infectious indie-pop set packed with energy, hooks, and feel-good vibes.
Frontman Dawson Daugherty’s boundless enthusiasm quickly got the crowd jumping with his Energizer Bunny bouncing, while guitarist Cole Clisby and bassist Luke Fabry powered songs like “Sunburn,” and “Can’t Slow Down,” with tight grooves and infectious melodies. The Jannus crowd was definitely familiar with their catalog, and were hopping right along in unison. They proved a perfect opener, setting a positive tone for the evening and kicking things into high gear. At the end of a long workday, almost monday was indeed an antidote that delivered an uplifting dose of endorphins. Expect good things from these guys, because it seems like they’re just getting started.
After a short break, 2000-something indie stalwarts Cold War kids hit the stage like grizzled veterans, assured in their presence and ready to rock with a strong and strident message. The band delivered a commanding, high-energy set that reaffirmed their place as one of indie rock’s most compelling live acts.
Drawing from nearly two decades of material, the Long Beach band fronted by Nathan Willett combined tight musicianship with a palpable sense of urgency. Willett’s soulful, emotive vocals anchored a sound that balanced bluesy grit, indie edge, and infectious rhythm. Kids infuse elements of all of classic rock’s greatest attributes into a powerful package. Willett’s engaging stage presence elevated the performance into the breezy evening air, while bassist Matt Maust paced the stage like someone on a mission to deliver a vital missive. The band’s chemistry translated into a kind of communal experience that felt simultaneously immediate yet nostalgic. Their songs are the kind that you think you’ve surely heard before – in a good way, creating something that’s easily welcomed and understood.
Towards the end of the set, they really opened up, with Willet sitting down on the electric piano and the other band members jamming around him on maracas and anything else they could find. It was an impressively arresting performance that left you feeling awakened and informed. Cold War Kids definitely “left it all on the stage”.
By the time the headliners Young the Giant arrived, the evening was electric and the crowd had swelled in anticipation. Touring on their new album “Victory Garden”, lead singer and co-founder Sameer Gadhia took the stage like an arriving dignitary, elegant, well-heeled with a regal presence, part Bollywood, part guru, part Freddie Mercury arena rock god. The new album explores ongoing themes of navigating parenthood and finding joy amidst everyday experiences.
Gadhia leans into his Indian-American heritage, and a big part of the band’s identity is about his story of finding a place in America as a minority and straddling two cultures. It is the classic American tale of understanding yourself in a multi-cultural society, and writing your own story of growth and enlightenment.
Gadhia has an easy and comforting presence, like a person you’d expect to have the most charming dinner conversation with, sharing enchanted tales from exotic lands. He moved effortlessly from soft, almost vulnerable verses to these huge, anthemic choruses that completely filled the room, embracing his role as the engaging tour guide.
The rest of the band was just as locked in. Guitarists Jacob Tilley and Eric Cannata layered riffs and textures that gave everything this dreamy psychedelic edge, while bassist Payam Doostzadeh and drummer François Comtois kept the grooves tight yet syncopated. They straddle a range of influences given their diverse backgrounds, from traditional indie rock to psychedelic, world music, and radio friendly power pop.
What really stood out was how big and immersive the sound felt, more like a stadium show than the cozy confines of Jannus. You could hear their multiple influences woven in, a little classic US type rock, a little Strokes-style punch, and subtle global touches that gave the songs a cinematic, almost transportive quality.
The crowd was a true cross-section of demographics. I saw older folks, mixed in with young couples and their children, along with girls you’d expect to see at an EDM show. I asked them what they liked about the band, and they said that while they weren’t otherwise big indie fans, they loved this band and gravitated towards their presence, energy and genuineness. Young the Giant indeed possesses something that transcends traditional musical genre definitions, expanding the boundaries into a universal message.
There’s always a moment during their shows where you sense a deep yearning and connection into something – something that’s inside yourself, in the air and within all of us.
Once they played their iconic “Cough Syrup”, the venue turned into one enormous singalong, the kind where you look around and realize everyone’s sharing the same moment. You’re uplifted and a cog in this incredible machine that is the universe, and ultimately, you know we all belong and everything will be all right. That’s the core message Young the Giant delivers, the power of music to bind and bring disparate worlds together into a unified whole, inspiring us all to do better through small and simple acts of kindness and gratitude. Perhaps that’s naive and not achievable, but in that moment, it sure felt like it was indeed within our grasp.
