The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
    • Shows & On demand
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Fund us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Cannes
      • Sundance London
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • Tumblr

  • RSS


CultureMusicLive music

Kid Wave at The Lexington

Kid Wave at The Lexington | Live review
7 October 2015
Joseph Fraser
Avatar
Joseph Fraser
7 October 2015

Music review

Joseph Fraser

Kid Wave at The Lexington

★★★★★

Highlights

Wonderlust

Links

Twitter Facebook Soundcloud Website

Normally when it comes to this lo-fi, indie-rock sound, it’s difficult to identify one band from another. When a group does manage to find their edge in the genre, they really stand out, whether it’s through Beach Fossils’ various instrumentation, Makthaverskan’s unique vocalist or, with Kid Wave, the influences from grunge that give their music a heavier feel. Strangely though, as frontwoman Lea Emmery belts out Some Say Dreaming Is a Waste of Time off the second single Honey at The Lexington, there is an upbeat and joyful attitude in their music that also separates them from the rest of the competition.

The Lexington’s shimmering gold background, cold blue lighting and hazy mist on the stage perfectly suit the dreamy synth music Kid Wave performs. Coming onto the stage with hanging heads and no smiles, they at first seem like they really don’t want to be here. But, after they blast through the first three songs without letting the crowd get a word in, Emmery finally reveals her face from behind her mess of hair and gives a grin that totally breaks whatever grunge image they were going for. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, the band may be giving a new face to grunge, even managing to crack a smile with a song called Gloom.

Unfortunately the sound mixing isn’t as tight as the band that have to work with it: constant feedback and timing problems with the sound effects mean that some of the more experimental cuts from their album (Wonderlust) end up sounding muddled and really break the atmosphere. Despite this, the most uncompromising member of the group is drummer Serra Petale who, with an awesome drum-face, cuts through the synth sounds of the guitars and messy mixing with some incredible beats, and fills that really improved the transition of some songs from the album to the live performance. Not to say that all the songs don’t translate well, but when Kid Wave just drop the theatrics and play their straight, lo-fi rock tunes they really shone – if only it happened more often.

★★★★★

Joseph Fraser
Photo: Michael Lee Jamison

For further information about Kid Wave and future events visit here. 

Watch the video for Wonderlust here:

 

Related Itemslive musicreview

More in Live music

Justin Nozuka at the Garage

★★★★★
Bev Lung
Read More

Tokio Myers at the Forum

★★★★★
Daniel Amir
Read More

Lisa Stansfield at the London Palladium

★★★★★
Adrian Peel
Read More

Hinds at Electric Brixton

★★★★★
Jake Cudsi
Read More

Gregory Porter at the Royal Albert Hall

★★★★★
Ed Edwards
Read More

Bastille at the Royal Albert Hall

★★★★★
Selina Begum
Read More

The Vaccines and Whenyoung at Alexandra Palace

★★★★★
Musanna Ahmed
Read More

John Barrowman and Seth Rudetsky at Leicester Square Theatre

★★★★★
Bev Lung
Read More

Alela Diane at Union Chapel

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Music review

Joseph Fraser

Kid Wave at The Lexington

★★★★★

Highlights

Wonderlust

Links

Twitter Facebook Soundcloud Website

Tickets

Theatre tickets

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Project Gastronomía: How will Londoners eat in 2050? A symposium on gastronomy and multisensory design
    Food & Drinks
  • Gregory Porter at the Royal Albert Hall
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Bat Out of Hell at the Dominion Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Tribeca Film Festival 2018: On the red carpet with the stars of Westworld season 2
    Cinema
  • Half Breed
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • 10 cute sandals for spring
    Fashion & Lifestyle
  • Justin Nozuka at the Garage
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Mayfly at the Orange Tree Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Sherlock Gnomes premiere: A chat with James McAvoy, his co-stars and the film’s creators
    Cinema
  • The Outsider
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Sherlock Gnomes premiere: A chat with James McAvoy, his co-stars and the film’s creators
    Cinema
  • Tokio Myers at the Forum
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Beast
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Lisa Stansfield at the London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Bat Out of Hell at the Dominion Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre

Instagram

Something is wrong. Response takes too long or there is JS error. Press Ctrl+Shift+J or Cmd+Shift+J on a Mac.
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Fund us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • New London restaurant openings and pop-ups
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Subscribe
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2018 FL Media Ltd

Listen to Me, Marlon | Movie review
Jamie Lawson – Jamie Lawson | Album review