229 The Venue, London
Thursday, 22nd August 2024
KUNAL SINGHAL
Kunal Singhal, as well as being an active and important music promoter, promoting new left-field musicians via his Chaos Theory operation, has a neat musical act himself, featuring improvised vocal looping. Opening his set with a looped thumb piano, Kunal soon gets the spooky action building with layered vocal harmonising on this fascinating improvisation.
We are informed that the next excursion into Kunal’s hypnotic dreamworld is entitled Cocoon. This is the exception in the set, as the other two numbers are as yet untitled improvisations. Kunal cues up another electronic box of tricks. The electronic magick serves to weave the swirling tendrils of ideas to become one with the air. The voice becomes the music. This is mediative and riveting all at once. Music for the troubled mind.
Kunal ends with his now expected audience participation number, built up with looping all sorts of disparate vocalisations from those who stepped forward.
Now, this is Chaos Theory in action, but the theory behind it is not chaotic, and certainly very clever. A good start to proceedings.
N/A
AN ENDLESS SPORADIC
Over from the USA for the first time, this quartet are new to me, and probably to you too. Kyros guitarist Joey Frevola also plays with this band, that being the connection to tonight’s headliners.
The tiny stage somehow finds room for the three guitarists, barely fitting behind their keyboard stacks. Supplying prog groove, the three keyboards and three guitars step a merry dance, with added intricate riffage.
Amongst the band’s attire we have Tom and Jerry, and Looney Tunes t-shirts which fit the music perfectly, as the sonic capers are cartoonish, the musical characters chasing each other around the frantic tuneage. Also, there are some great riffs in here, and the arrangements are terrific. Add to that the band’s enthusiasm and good-humoured bonhomie, and you have the perfect package.
“Does this sound like anything else?”, I hear you think. Hmmm…not that it matters, but Todd Rundgren’s Utopia at their most manic come to mind but brought bang up to date. In fact there’s all sorts in this blender. We seem to have gone all ELP briefly – eek! Only briefly, thank gawd. 😀 Only kidding – now we are at Return To Forever with heavy riffing. Have no fear, there’s sufficient melody in the mix, let’s not forget that. Suffice to say that there is more than enough to hold one’s attention, and as you look from one musician to the next it is hard to keep up! This is a good thing.
Almost hiding behind all this virtuosity, literally and metaphorically, as you can hardly see the guy, Matt Graff’s drumming more than merely holds it all together in several odd meters, often within the same song, but his obvious joy and enthusiasm powers it along akin to a huge rhythmic outboard motor. Somehow, all this was done with no bass guitar, but such is the full soundstage, I admit I didn’t spot that until it was pointed out to me by my more observant friend near the end of their set. I was later informed that the bass guitar parts were all on a backing track, so at least my failing ears didn’t deceive me!
Apparently, Alberto Menezes learned the trumpet especially for the mariachi-like dance number The Assembly, which also features a massed recorder part. What?! O yes! 🙂 It should also be noted that Joey is one for directing amusing facial expressions at us onlookers, but he is well beaten in the “musician gurning” stakes by sometime trumpet player Alberto!
In conclusion, the whole thing is a smorgasbord of musical delight. If Enrico Morricone had formed a rock band it may have sounded like this. This is only their third show in Europe, and their first UK appearance, so let’s hope there are many more to come.
Anything
Waking Hours
From The Blue
Point Of No Return
The Triangular Race Through Space
Derpulous
Magic Machine
The Assembly
Sky Run
Sea Voyage
Impulse
Sun Of Pearl
Zach Kamins – Guitar, Keyboards, Recorder
Alberto Menezes – Guitar, Keyboards, Trumpet, Recorder, Percussion
Joey Frevola – Guitar, Keyboards, Recorder, Kazoo, Percussion
Matt Graff – Drums, Kazoo
KYROS
Joey returns for guitar duty with headliners Kyros, who launch into their soaring life-affirming prog pop with all the gusto we have come to expect. Opening appropriately enough with Showtime, it is very soon apparent that Kyros are now a well-oiled pop behemoth. Their trademark syncopated swaying and stepping ensues on second number Esoterica, as far as the cramped stage allows, anyway!
Clothes are important in pop. The drummer, shrouded in stage fug, is initially wearing a fetching pair of white-framed shades. Charlie, ever the stoic bassist, is resplendent in his technicolour jacket, and who knows what goes on behind his shades! Shelby’s purple glittery outfit is perfect for the music. She wants to “see everybody dancing”, and of course, that’s what happens.
It is good to see that 229 is three quarters full, and everyone is getting into the vibes coming off the stage. Especially when a charging mosh pit developed on Shelby’s command – never seen that before at a Kyros gig! Moving out of their way for fear of losing my phone – well, you don’t think I’m using pen and paper to do this, surely? 😀 – the musical intensity is now turned up to 11, but still Shelby wants to “…take things up a notch”! Really?!
As the set progresses from the opening pop bangers, the music gets more dense and less immediate, and heavier, as the band take on heavy prog with ease, showing the range of their talents. Anthemic pop mixed with thunderous riffage, and it goes down a storm.
As Shelby comments after The End In Mind, as it looks a bit daft if the band to go off stage – through the audience in this case – they will “…crouch down in the corner, while you shout “More!” and then we’ll come back for the encore” 🙂 which is the thoroughly uplifting Ghosts Of You. Marvellous!
This is a pop band with a backbone, and Kyros add a sparkly sheen to the London night, and we all leave the venue sated and happy.
[Photos by Rosamund Tomlins]
SETLIST
Showtime
Esoterica
Rumour
Technology Killed The Kids IV
Illusions Inside
Have Hope
UNO Attack
Liminal Space
The End In Mind
~ Encore
Ghosts Of You
MUSICIANS
Shelby Logan Warne – Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Joey Frevola – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Charlie Cawood – Bass, Backing Vocals
Robin Johnson – Drums, Percussion
LINKS
Kyros – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | X
Facebook (Group) | Facebook Page