Music / Alt rock
Review: K.Flay, Thekla
Those who managed to make it through Friday’s miserable weather were rewarded with an incredible night of music at Thekla.
Paving the way and starting off the night in impeccable fashion are PLYA, a London based three-piece that spin a dark and dreamy brand of alt-pop. Despite having only released two singles into the world the band manage to play a full set of synthy delights.
Julia Sykes’ richly emotive and airy vocals are the glue that pulls the band together, dancing over a backdrop of atmospheric synths in a shimmering concoction. Latest single Adrenaline aims to encapsulate the feeling of elation that occurs when you start to fall for somebody new, through infectious beats and contagious energy. Having formed out the ashes of previous band SYKES, the trio play with tightly meshed focus and are surely one to keep a tab on.
K. Flay’s inventive rock / hip-hop combination has been moving from strength to strength. Having been nominated for two awards at the most recent Grammys and recently penned a new track for the upcoming Tomb Raider film, there’s little stopping her ascent as she takes an evening break from her supporting slot on the Imagine Dragons tour to play the boat.
Taking to the stage like a cannonball of energy she pours straight into old favourite Make Me Fade. Half rapped with raspy intonations Flay’s hair starts to cover her face as she headbangs along, moving through Giver and Black Wave. There’s a good showing from 2014’s debut Life As A Dog, but the focus is mostly on last years emotionally driven Everywhere is Somewhere.
Many of her songs are personal and it’s a fact that she wears on her sleeve, acknowledging how many she ended up writing in her parent’s basement. Mean It, pushes this emotional rawness to a new level as it’s stripped back leaving her vocals alone with the keys, it’s an intimate moment amidst a show rammed full of intimate lyrics.
Rounding up the night Flay lays down a trio of bangers, starting with FML, an earworm that twists the acronym on its head in optimism, focusing on the interaction of a lifetime of highs and lows. Next up is the Grammy nominated Blood in The Cut, which has the entire audience bouncing around before closing up with the beat driven Slow March.
There’s been smiles from the stage and the crowd throughout, and those who didn’t attend missed out on two alluring performances from artists I can guarantee we’ll be hearing a lot more from in the future.
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