Concert Review - Wild Child

For being a dirty dive bar in Ybor, I gotta hand it to Crowbar for bringing in some solid musical talent. After a spring calendar that’s already featured Shovels & Rope and Bronze Radio Return, I was happy to go see Wild Child perform there on March 6^th.

For those unfamiliar with the band, Wild Child is a poppy indie-folk group from Austin, Texas. I first heard of them through their new song, “Crazy Bird,” which was their lead single from the group’s second album called The Runaround, released last fall. This followed up their 2011 debut entitled Pillow Talk. 

The band is centered on Kelsey Wilson and Alexander Beggins, who both sing and play around with the violin and ukulele. Their ensemble features a drummer, cello player, keyboardist and bassist. Together they’re capable of producing ample sound, but also sound great stripped down with just Wilson and Beggins vocals.

Wild Child played about 75 minutes to a small crowd at Crowbar. The beginning of the set was heavy on their second album, but they mixed in some old tunes as well. My personal favorite was “Silly Things,” a touchy slower tune from their debut.

The band kept things very casual with the audience, acknowledging that Beggins parents were in attendance and asking for recommendations on what bars to visit after the show. It was a very comfortable and enjoyable performance.

One of the coolest moments came on the very final song. After the singers dismissed the rest of the band, they asked the crowd if they knew the bands most popular tune - “Pillow Talk.” As the audience cheered, Wilson asked if the fans would sing extra loud if the band came into the crowd to perform from the floor. So it was pretty wild to see everyone crowded around the two, who sang “Pillow Talk” with just a ukulele and the fans voices. Definitely a good way to end the night!

I like Wild Child and I encourage you to check them out. It’s always enjoyable to see bands easily incorporate string instruments into their songs. Wild Child does this perfectly. For me, they remind me most to Of Monsters and Men with their two lead singers. They also evoke similarities to Shovels and Rope, and The Mowgli’s. (Especially on their song “The Tale of You & Me)

CONCERT RATING: 2.5 Stars