The Perfect Summer Playlist Additions: Knox Hamilton and Coasts

By Genevieve Kane 

As we welcome in the month of May, we are reminded that summer is just beyond the horizon and approaching fast. No one wants to enter the summer season without a flame playlist prepared, and I know one band that has got you covered. The first time I heard Knox Hamilton’s hit song "Work it Out" on the radio two summers ago, it immediately caught my attention. I fell in love with it instantaneously. My sister and I listened to "Work it Out" on repeat and deemed it our summer anthem. Knox Hamilton is the perfect indie pop-rock band to deliver some fresh summer vibes when you need them most.

Naturally, I was very excited to see them live, and at a very intimate venue like Lincoln Hall no less. Their faces were lit by an electric blue light. Boots, the frontman of Knox Hamilton, entertained the crowd with sharp witty banter between songs. “You guys are a very polite crowd,” he joked at one point. And he was not wrong. Being in the audience felt like attending one big love fest. “I love you!” the infatuated crowd would shout to them. It was clear that not everyone in the audience was there for Knox Hamilton in the beginning, but it ultimately did not matter because they won every person over before they had even finished their set. Boots would jokingly ask the audience which songs they would like to hear, prefacing it by saying, “We’re not going to play Wonder Wall...not again.” They then broke out into another one of my personal favorites, "How's Your Mind." 

Knox Hamilton delivered a little nugget of summertime sublimity amidst the lingering fog of spring. By the time they had finished playing "Work it Out," there were salty streaks of tears rolling down my cheeks. Although the temperature outside may have been hovering around 40 degrees, Knox Hamilton made it feel like summer in my heart.

I wasn’t as familiar with Coasts as I was with Knox Hamilton, but I was on such an adrenaline high that my excitement at that point in the night was through the roof. As Coasts began their set, Liam Willford (guitar), James Gamage (bass), David Goulbourn (keys), and Ben Street (drums) graced the stage in their respective spots. The focal point of the stage was a lonely microphone, as the beginning riffs of "Wallow" rung throughout Lincoln Hall. Lead singer Chris Caines then emerged and grabbed the mic in one grand swoop. Their long legs and bobbing heads of hair, were a spectacle in and of itself. Coasts dominated the stage with large gestures and motions, which was then countered by their quiet English demeanor in between songs. Chris would say a few humble words in between songs; always ending with a little, “cheers” which of course would then be followed by an eruption of shouts from the audience.

I was really digging their Two Door Cinema Club vibe, despite the fact I felt a little out of place because it seemed as though everyone around me knew practically every word to every song the band would play. Regardless, it was a very fun crowd to be a part of, especially when Coasts played "Modern Love." However, the audience really went nuts when Coasts ended the night with "Ocean," which is the first song on their self-titled album.
 

Although we still need to fight our way through May, summer is coming up, and I know exactly who I will be listening to thanks to this killer show. Knox Hamilton and Coasts are definitely worth adding to the summer playlist.