Coin w/ Tessa Violet
Showbox, Seattle, WA
02.23.19

Coin is one of the few bands that I will always try to see every time they are in town. I’m a fan of their music—and while they might not have gotten a ton of activity on my Spotify over the past year or so, their live show is one I’ll never forget. My lack of streams is due mostly to the fact that they’ve only released four singles since their sophomore album in 2017, so there simply wasn’t enough content to get super excited about. You never would’ve guessed this walking into the Showbox in February though. They had a packed crowd long before their opener even came on. The front row was littered with fans sporting Coin-inspired tattoos, and multiple bouquets of flowers were ready to be handed on stage to welcome the boys back to Seattle.

The opener for the night, Tessa Violet, walked on stage wowing the crowd with her yellow hair, green jumpsuit, and infectious smile. She’s got a cute mix of whispery bubble-gum indie pop that was fun to watch her and her energetic band perform.

After touring with their sophomore album, How Will You Know if You Never Try, Coin announced that they would no longer be the original four members fans were used to seeing, as Zachary Dyke would be leaving the band to focus on other musical endeavors. Of course, nothing but love was expressed both from and for the band, however, it left some questions for sure: What would the next songs sound like? Would the live show be weird with only 75% of the original members?

But alas, Coin shall prevail. The newer singles sound just as good as their first two albums, and once they opened their set with “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” minds were put at ease with the seamless dynamic between the band.

I’ve been a long-time fan of Coin, and given that I hadn’t listened in a while, every track for me was that perfect moment of “oh my gosh I forgot about this song but it’s SO GOOD.” From the tracks that got them rolling like “Run,” to the collective shedding of tears in the crowd while everyone sang “Malibu 1992,” Coin just puts on a killer live show that encapsulates so much love and emotion in one night.

I’ve now had “I Want It All” on repeat for weeks, as Coin’s Seattle stop of 2019 blew me away once again. A beautiful set of all the hits, I’m endlessly looking forward to seeing these guys again.

Review and photos by Lulu Dawson

Coin

Tessa Violet