Review: The Thrills @ Sin City
The Thrills kicked off their new tour at Swansea’s Sin City last Tuesday.
Support was provided by Findlay Brown, whose charming acoustic songs, reminiscent of Nick Drake, were perhaps a little too sleepy for the crowd to stop talking and take notice. So, as a last act, he crouched on the stage and let loose an 
explosion of electronic noise, to which The Thrills should feel indebted, as it surely focused everyone’s attention towards the stage.
Despite myself, I really like both of The Thrills albums to date. Their unashamed Americanist style and big sound make for great pop songs. I got carried away with the set, to which I knew a surprising amount of lyrics and exactly when to ‘ooh’ every time.
For a moment the themes and lyrics of their songs (e.g. “Nothing Changes Around Here”) seemed to relate perfectly to Swansea and it’s strange, small town/big town mentality. British Suburbia’s obsession with West Coast Americana was so tangible you could almost smell it, or perhaps that was just the cheap vodka and sweat. 
The only let downs were the lack of a string section (expected) and that the set seemed to be a little on the short side. Perhaps they just wanted to play a tight, concise set and to escape before getting mobbed by a drunken fan… too late.
Check out Sin City’s website for more upcoming gigs.
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