Photos and review by NOTES FROM VIVACE
LOS ANGELES – Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote of Hinds came to The Paramount filled with an effervescent vibe that spread rapidly to their fan base. In fact, it all started an hour before the band even took the stage.
When their opener, The Happy Return, was playing their set, Hinds came out to enjoy the tunes. The occasional fan could be seen approaching the band, who were more than happy to take a selfie and exchange a few pleasantries.
Hinds is on tour to celebrate the release of their 2024 album VIVA HINDS. They’re spending the month of October touring North America and then they’ll be starting off 2025 playing Europe as well as a couple dates in Japan.
The band started their set with the lead song from that album. “Hi, How Are You” has the buzzy feel that got the audience engaged. The band then pumped up the crowd even more with their introduction, “We’re f*cking Hinds. We’re from f*cking Spain!”
The 17-song set did highlight songs from the new album, but for longtime fans they also played just as many combined songs from their 2020 album The Prettiest Curse and their 2018 album I Don’t Run. For those who have been with the band since the start, they played “Castigadas En El Granero” from their 2016 debut album Leave Me Alone.
Before their song “Boom Boom Back,” Perrote took to the microphone, “For the ones who are lucky enough not to have social media, maybe you don’t notice, but I broke my foot.” She was seen on stage with a touch of a hobble while wearing a walking boot. One has to say she has a good sense of humor about the unnecessary tour distraction. If one took a look at the keyboard stand, there was the x-ray of her right foot hanging proudly. She then continued, “We’ve been doing a lot of interviews lately, a lot of press. And they always ask, “What is VIVA HINDS about?” If you’ve been with us since the albums before [VIVA HINDS] you realize this is a bit of a heavier album – lyric wise, like what we talk about, because we’ve been going through heavier stuff.”
What has the band been dealing with? Their press release provides the details, “They hit a creative rut after releasing their 2020 album The Prettiest Curse, and their bassist and drummer devastatingly decided to leave the band. They also split with their management team, lost touring revenue due to lockdowns, and were without a label for the first time. But when Perrote and Cosials got together to write again it became clear that their connection, one so special that they call themselves ‘millionaires in friendship,’ would be all they needed to get them through.”
A quick note about “Boom Boom Back.” The song features Beck and once again if one took notice, Perrote was wearing a Beck t-shirt.
Their song “Burn” is a jamming song that got the band playing off each other. The fun on stage got a loud stamp of approval from the crowd. The band had so much fun that a comment was made, “She’s so happy, she’s drooling.” The band slowed things down for the romantic “The Bed, The Room, The Rain and You” with the lyrics “The light is you. Oceans are too. I sing for you. The blackbirds too. A pint with you. Your eyes are blue.”
As an introduction to their upbeat “Superstar,” Crosials had a request of the audience by playing to the stereotypical vainess of Los Angelinos, “I think there’s a chance of a little bit bouncing, a little bit of dancing. Maybe . . . maybe . . . I know you’re cool. We know. Everytime we come here . . . . we have so much to learn . . . . you guys are very very cool. At least that’s what I think . . . . but but, in my opinion, I think dancing is super cool.”
The band ended the night with a cover they’ve been playing from their start, “Davey Crockett” by Thee Headcoats. Crosials went to the front of the stage and motioned the crowd to get as tight as possible. She then did a stage dive across the photo pit and into the crowd, crowd surfing with a large smile on her face. For the final moment, the band gathered at the front of the stage and took a bow for a set filled with a non-stop enthusiastic stage performance and memorable heart-felt tunes.
As mentioned, opening up the night was The Happy Return. The indie pop rock band had to state that they’re from San Diego and were pleased that the Los Angeles crowd was willing to accept them to the stage considering the recent Dodgers-Padres playoff series. The band loves their Percy Jackson books. They wrote a song about Annabeth and they made sure to inform the audience that the song was about the character from the books and not from the movies.
HINDS setlist: Hi How Are You, The Club, New for You, Boom Boom Back, Coffee, Just Like Kids (Miau), Riding Solo, Stranger, Burn, Linda, The Bed The Room The Rain and You, Good Bad Times, Superstar, Spanish Bombs (The Clash cover), Castigadas En El Granero, En Forma, Davey Crockett (Thee Headcoats cover)
The Happy Return setlist: Lunch Break, Sweaters, Pretend, Lemonade, Annabeth, Blue, Easy Peasy, Caught My Eye, Time Runs Out, Feels Like Heaven.
Listen to VIVA HINDS here:
