Over the years Kids of 88 have become quite a multi-faceted band, both live and in the studio, however there’s one thing they do best and that’s create one heck of a party atmosphere through their music.
Additionally, the beauty of the New Zealand duo is how they successfully mesh their different synth, electronic and rock sounds together to create great tunes. While they do the party and upbeat aspect very well live, it was whether they could combine their slower songs to create a cohesive and well-balanced set.
They did just that on Australia Day at the Espy back in 2010, though that day the punters helped them out by being slightly inebriated. There wasn’t going to be much doubt about the skills of Kids of 88 tonight, but rather the blood-alcohol-concentration of the crowd.
Support act, Red Ink are a fairly formidable four-piece that chug out some catchy indie pop tunes. It may have been the fact it was really loud but the boys produced some sleek basslines and infectious choruses. Their final song, “Euphoria” epitomised the band to a tee: a rocking chorus, howling vocals and smooth bass. Props also goes to the dude on lights at The Espy, whose flashing white lights added a little extra sparkle to their final song in what was an already classy performance.
Playing live, Kids of 88 stayed true to their sound, fusing elements of party rock and smooth synth that especially suited to the stage setting, with perfect examples being “My House” and “Just A Little Bit”.
In what was a surprising choice, the band (who are a quartet when they play live) opened with a bit of a slower number in “Ribbons of Light”, but it built up nicely to get the crowd to increase their body movements from swaying and head bopping to a little bit of dancing and toe tapping by the end.
The boys proceeded to get a bit techno, kicking off with the follow up “Cotton Mouth”, which set the scene early for what was going to be a gig where patrons were forced to dance whether they liked it or not.
By the third song the boys were in their groove, with “Just A Little Bit” leaving everyone dancing, apart from the oh-so-cool hipsters that were busy making sure their snapbacks were on right and the top button of their collared shirts were done up.
The lights were significant in Kids of 88 performance as well, when they weren’t blinding the tall patrons of The Espy Gershwin Room, they were doing their job perfectly by combining with the band to create a rave-like atmosphere that got everyone in the right state to boogie.
The infectious sound of the horns in the chorus of “Downtown” combined with the funky chugging guitar riffs made everyone glad they’d made the trip’ downtown’ to watch the band in an early highlight of the set.
The earliest display of their new album, Modern Love, came in the form of a trippier, slower jam. It actually wouldn’t sound out of place on a Hot Chip record. The Kiwi lads are exploring different sounds to what their best known for, and to be frank – they nailed it. The key to the new songs’ success will be in how they’re performed and are received live, with both aspects spot on.
They chucked in another new one entitled “Euphoria” (coincidentally the same song title as Red Ink’s final song). This track sounded a lot grander than a lot of the band’s earlier songs, with some reverbed guitar and double tracked vocals giving it a lofty sound.
To finish it all, the boys literally got every crowd member dancing with “My House”. As cliché as it sounds, the song transformed the Espy into a bona fide house party. Their newer songs reflect that Kids of 88 are developing into quite a mature band, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten how to get flocks of people moving and partying.
– Jac Manuell
