By Eileen Tilson
When a young Butch Walker first came onto the scene
in 1997 with Math and Other Problems, he swaggered on stage without an
air of pretension, but the ability to convert a crowd, even if they had never
heard of Marvelous 3 before. The music wasn’t difficult; it was catchy, upbeat
pop rock that kept the crowd dancing.
Watching Nashville-based The Four Kicks
last night at the Hard Rock Cafe’s Velvet Underground open up for Ben Deignan
and Suburban Soul was like watching history repeat itself. Four “scenester”
rockers came out on stage in front of Ben’s trendy crowd and quite simply
“kicked” ass. Their short set was comprised of guitar-driven pop anthems and
high energy stage antics showing similarities to the days when Royston Langdon
and Spacehog involved their audience in a song, carrying them through the
lyrics, while keeping them jumping up and down. Even the bartenders, were
dancing when singer and Atlanta native Jordan Philips belted out the band's
single “Shake it Loose.”
Extensive touring after the release of their EP 2007 seems to have The Four Kicks feeling completely at home on any stage. It
is refreshing to see a band who are not concerned with anything else than
getting on stage and having fun. They are a reminder of the good old days when
rock 'n' roll was simple, and going to a concert was about listening to good
tunes with friends. Although perhaps a bit out of place last night, The Four
Kicks confirmed themselves as a band worth following up the charts.
