The siblings Kitty, Daisy & Lewis specialise in a genre that is in somewhat short supply in modern pop-music. Their jazz/blues/rock/country mix is heavily reminiscent of the 50’s and 60’s, yet retains a uniqueness so that it does not sound repetitive. The ongoing appreciation for this energetic blend of styles was evident in the great turnout at their packed Bodega gig on Wednesday. Unusually, despite hailing from London, the band do not regularly tour the UK and have spent a good three years writing their latest record, so anticipations were high despite the low-key setup.
“Is it hot enough in here for you?” lead singer Kitty asks after the opening song, energy and jostling warming up the crowd. Her strong, no-mess vocals in combination with her heavy eye make-up (and, quite frankly, winged liner on fleek) were not a far cry from the late Amy Winehouse. Now that is something I can’t help but admire: a badass chick in a killer jumpsuit with on-point make up, who can also play insane harmonica solos. Alongside Kitty, sister Daisy (just as well-dressed) and her brother, Lewis (who has an Elvis-esque vibe) all continuously switched around on stage and all contributed to vocals. The best received songs were probably the trumpet-heavy hit ‘I’m So Sorry‘ and the country influences of popular track ‘Going Up The Country‘. The keyboard hook of ‘Baby Bye Bye‘ chugs along with almost a Hawaiian sound to it and ‘No Action’ has a base riff to rival that of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’. They even showed elements of soul in ‘Feeling of Wonder‘. The song-with-a-message ‘Developer’s Disease’ was a personal favourite, inspired by the destruction of buildings with local value to make way for new developments. It was inspired by changes in their hometown of Camden, London and most probably was written in reference to the ever-growing unaffordable housing development.
The sound system had a minor hiccup a few songs in, which is slightly unsurprising considering how many people were on stage (the three siblings were accompanied by their parents and a guest trumpet player) along with the many instruments. Drum kit, double bass, guitars, harmonicas, mic stands and a sea of cables all squashed onto a few square metres of stage. That’s what you get for having such a vast musical influence, I suppose. It didn’t prevent stomps and cheers encouraging an extended encore. Arguably, the most impressive characteristic of the band is their sheer musical ability. As a frequent gig-goer, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many instruments on stage at once. But, more than that, the strong family feel they have is humbling and is something to admire. The passion they all share for the music they are presenting to the crowd is electric, and you can sense that they are nothing but proud to present it to an audience. They radiate talent and their integration of multiple genres has created their own distinctive influence and brings a new dynamic to rock’n’roll. All in all, a great night. Catch their latest album, The Third, on sale now.
Edited by Naomi Upton
Image sources:
http://www.lh-st.com/Shows/04-09-2015+Kitty+Daisy+Lewis
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/dec/28/kitty-daisy-lewis-people-re…