By Alex Schaaf

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that the touring band is often repeating the same exact thing night after night. That rare B-side they snuck in mid-set? They already debuted it two weeks ago in Seattle. That hilarious exchange between the drummer and the bassist? They came up with that joke a few days ago and have been fine-tuning it ever since. That shirt the keyboardist is wearing? Well, you get the picture.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing. It’s going to naturally occur, especially for younger bands that are just starting out on the road. They may only have one album or EP recorded so far, and thus do not have an extensive back catalogue with which to mix up the set list every night. They are still figuring out how to be a good live band, so they may keep their performance the same night after night, refining it each time.

The thing is, some bands are great at hiding these facts. They make it feel fresh; they put all their energy into each night’s performance in order to make the crowd feel like this is the best show they’ve ever played. If the band is really into it and enthusiastic, it makes it all the more special for the audience.

Best Coast, however, is not one of those bands. Agreeing with what previous reviews had written about the band’s performance, their show last night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn was rather uninspired. I’m not saying it was a bad show – they played a long set full of all of their hits, and the crowd ate it up. Their sound was pretty solid, I would have enjoyed a bass player to fill out the sound even more, but they did fairly well in recreating the album for a live audience.

But in terms of making the night seem fresh and exciting, they fell a little flat. Lead singer/guitarist Bethany Cosentino stood still for almost the whole night, singing and playing with her eyes trained towards the ground. The banter in between songs was minimal, and what little there was seemed forced. When she said, “You guys are way more adventurous than last night’s Bowery crowd,” her tone of voice could have also been used to tell someone at the grocery store, “Your total comes to $7.50, please.” She did break out into a smile a couple of times throughout the night, but that was also a rare occurrence. The audience seemed to take it upon themselves to make this night memorable, since the band wasn’t going to do it: two different girls throughout the night jumped onto the stage and joyously danced around Cosentino as she sang before being escorted off the stage.

The rest of the band was a little more lively, but not by much. Guitarist Bobb Bruno and drummer Ali Koehler put down a solid backdrop for Cosentino’s strong voice to soar over, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves a bit. Again, I think they played a strong set, and most of the audience seemed to really enjoy it. Cosentino’s voice, the most striking aspect of her album Crazy for You, was just as impressive live, as she explored that middle range of hers as much as possible. It’s just too bad that the band has already lost the enthusiasm that comes from “making it big” at such a young point in their career.

I knew little about the first band of the night, Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, except that they were from New Jersey. I walked out knowing just as much. I think their brand of generic country/rock just isn’t for me. But it didn’t seem to be doing much for them either – they somehow looked just as bored as I was.

Male Bonding was a treat however, as they brought the energy back up before Best Coast’s set with a quick run-through of fast, rocking songs. I wasn’t too familiar with them before last night but I’m definitely going to check out more of their stuff.

MP3: Best Coast – “Boyfriend”
MP3: Best Coast – “Something In The Way”
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Buy: Best Coast – Crazy for You