THE KILLS COME ALIVE AT HOUSE OF VANS

The delightfully deviant duo of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, collectively known as The Kills; are kicking it back up to full steam after recently releasing a new single “List of Demands” (a Saul Williams’ cover) and one of their first warm-up gigs was playing a wicked skate party at House Of Vans in Brooklyn on Friday. It is all part of the “Get on Board: A Celebration of Women’s Skateboarding Open Skate and Concert” series, which celebrates the culture of skateboarding and aims to inspire and encourage women of all ages to get on a board and skate. Mosshart is apparently a huge fan of skate culture and is championing the sense of female empowerment involved with a pair of shows at Vans’ Chicago and NYC locales. It started with a few hours of free skating in their skate park area, that encouraged women and girls of all ages and proficiency to come out and learn or burn their decks, and was followed by a show by The Kills with no opener.

Kills

Mosshart and Hince have always have a tenuous love/hate relationship going on in their nearly two decades performing and recording together, but clearly the last few years have been especially tough on the duo. Hince is just recovering from some major health problems including nearly loosing a finger, and just emerged from the firestorm that was his big tabloid breakup with supermodel Kate Moss. Mosshart has also dealt with some high-profile breakups and personal problems recently. There has been no shortage of scathing scandal and true rock debauchery in these two’s past, but it seems they still feel they have a safe place on stage together to rock out their demons together. It is still an extraordinary treat to experience Alison Mosshart pacing around the stage, working herself into a boiling fervor until she explodes into her mic and erupt her pent-up energy into the crowd. They showed very clearly they have lost none of their power over the years and clearly have plenty more molten energy to give their fans.

Kills

Their fiery brand of lo-fi, grungy blues was on full display at Friday’s show, as they blew out the crowded house as the unofficial opening to Brooklyn’s House Of Vans’ last season as a live venue. They broke out some brand new stuff for the hour-long set, as well as classic rockers like “Black Balloon,” “Kissy Kissy,” “Tape Song,” “Doing It to Death,” and they ended it all with an oldie classic from their 2003 debut “Monkey 23.” They are now on their way to Europe for a short tour across the pond, and will be returning to the states this Summer for many more dates here.