First Aid Kit - Palomino Tour
“It’s impressive a little band from Sweden can pull this kind of crowd in L.A.” said the man standing behind me in the ticket line. First Aid Kit played their first LA show in five years last night at the Hollywood Palladium. And they are in no way just a little band from Sweden anymore. Although, that’s how they may have started. The Swedish folk duo consists of sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg. After their cover of ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’ by Fleet Foxes went viral, the duo signed with Wichita Records in 2008.
Most recently, the band released their fifth album “Palomino” in fall of 2022 and are currently on their album tour, which I was lucky enough to see.
I first fell in love with First Aid Kit’s music toward the end of my senior year of high school and they have stayed with me throughout college and so on. They are reminiscent of an earlier generation of music with a modern twist, plus tight harmonies and killer vocals. Johanna and Klara are magic together. Each song of theirs evokes a special memory for me. Needless to say, I was excited to see them live.
Right off the bat, the sisters had the audience’s full attention. The two graced the stage in technicolor dreamcoat-esque, 70s style outfits, transporting me to another time and I was especially impressed by Klara’s stage presence. She held eye contact with each audience member and made me feel like I was the only one in the room. Plus, her voice is spectacular with a range that is up there with the likes of Linda Ronstadt. And for anyone that thinks First Aid Kit is a simple folk duo, you’re wrong. They rock hard. Songs, ‘Rebel Heart’ and ‘Lion’s Roar’, for example, brought the house down with electric guitars and drums coming in loud. But they did have more unfiltered moments with songs like ‘Ghost Town’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Songbird’. These numbers were performed without the backing band. Just Klara and Johanna on vocals with Klara on guitar. They even shared one microphone. Almost unplugged and very raw. The latter song was a lovely tribute to the late Christine McVie. Klara and Johanna aren't shy about sharing their musical inspirations and McVie is one of them. Klara mentioned their love for Gram Parsons which brings me to my favorite song of the night: ‘Wild Horses II’ from their latest album.
Klara opened up about how the song is about a breakup. A couple arguing about their favorite song, and which version is the best. ‘Wild Horses’ is widely known as a Rolling Stones song but Mick Jagger states, "I remember we sat around originally doing this with Gram Parsons, and I think his version came out slightly before ours.” Hence Klara’s lyric, “We played Wild Horses on the car stereo/You prefer the Rolling Stones' and I like Gram's”. The storytelling of this song was extraordinary. I could picture everything she sang, imagining this couple arguing about music and ultimately realizing the two just don’t get each other. Another sweet moment was when the band had the audience sing Happy Birthday to their bass technician. They even brought out a little cake! I could tell this band and its crew is one big family.
Johanna and Klara performed another cover: Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ and it’s not a recent addition to their set. Since its popular resurgence from being featured in Stranger Things, Bush's song reached Number 1 in the UK in 2022, 35 years after its initial release. But First Aid Kit recorded it for Spotify singles in 2018 and actually introduced me to this song back when I was in college. Another simple performance with just Klara on guitar and the two sisters singing in beautiful harmony.
A big highlight for me was screaming the lyrics to ‘Emmylou’ with the girl beside me. She even had a shirt with the lyrics on it. It felt very surreal. The song is about singing with someone you love and Johanna sweetly said to the audience “someone like your sister.” The love the two have for each other and the love they have for music made this concert even more of a joy to experience. I give the Palomino tour a 10/10. Go see it now!
Also, a shout out is in order for the opener Hurray for the Riff Raff. If you’re looking for some new music go check them out. I could imagine their music being featured in an indie coming of age movie trailer and there’s no other way to describe it. And First Aid Kit's backing band was great! I especially loved Freja bringing out the accordion.
LISTEN TO FIRST AID KIT - https://open.spotify.com/artist/21egYD1eInY6bGFcniCRT1?si=HcfHPkRbQhu6d4j6wgdQkw
LISTEN TO HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2xLEV2jDreAOcpJXFNoXyt?si=tE0ro-OuRbKZXBG7CST_8Q
More info and tour dates - http://www.firstaidkitband.com
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