Kid Wave at The Lexington

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: