Thursday 4 October 2012

Kingfisha Review - Live @ Jet Black Cat Records

So, last night I found myself back at Jet Black Cat records for another one of their in-stores. This time was rather different from the usual singer-songwriters that grace the tiny venue - there was a full reggae influenced set going on. It provided a very interesting vibe, to say the least.

Let's start by introducing the band. Their name is Kingfisha, and they describe themselves as a 'reggae electro band'. They have recently won the Triple J Unearthed Roots competition, and were celebrating the new release of their 7-inch vinyl at the cat.


Their sound is quite unique. It does have a very reggae style, but to me they sound very influenced by The Police. The members of the band were very good, the bassist and guitarist very tight - and the drummer also acting as the lead singer (a feat that any musician will tell you is very hard to achieve!). The beats were solid, and got you in the groove for a good hour or so.

The only issue was the similarity of most of their songs. They seemed to meld in the middle, and I think listening to too many of their songs in one go might prove a little wearing. Their style seems to overwhelm their substance, the set not changing up much at all.

They did, however, put on a good show. Just when the music started to lull, a trombonist was added to the mix to spice things up a bit. It worked well, and I have to congratulate the trombonist on A) playing soft enough for a tiny record store and B) not hitting anyone in the face with his instrument. It was a good night, which even got the crowd dancing at the end of it.

Despite what was said about the variety of their songs, they are a very good band who deserve a little notice - as their sound is very different to the typical acoustic stuff that's circulating at the moment.

Here is a song from their new album:


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