THE KVB + AUTUMNS – GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON 30.10.18
The KVB – not yet heard of them? Well, hopefully you will now have discovered one the the very best musical acts that are around at present.
The BBC are in on the act, as last week on 23rd October, The KVB’s brand new ten track album entitled ‘Only Now Forever’ was honoured in being ‘Album Of The Day’ on BBC Radio 6 Music and as I type this article, the dark electronic pop act are recording a live session with Tom Ravenscroft (son of the legendary John Peel), who is standing in for Lauren Laverne on the same BBC radio station.
This is very exciting times for the boy-girl duo of Kat and Nick, who are in the throes of moving back to the UK (more than likely to Manchester) from a few years creativity break in Berlin. The young couple are no strangers to travel as Kat who hails from Harrogate and Nick from Southampton have literally travelled far and wide with their music. This has certainly paid off as they have around 54,000 followers on their Facebook page. However, I would suggest that quite a large number of these followers would be from foreign lands, due to the duo’s concerts that they have played in the many countries.
Kat was telling me prior to tonight’s performance, that they are probably the best well known in France and that the crowds in Mexico, and in particular Mexico City were really mad for it. When they came out of the venue in Mexico City, there were street-sellers offering fans bootleg t-shirts of the band. In the UK we only really come across this in the large venues for grade A acts, and so The KVB surely must be on the right track.
Their current track is on an impressive 38 date UK & European tour across no less than 15 countries, taking in Scotland, England, France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and then heading off to the USA.
Tonight, they pulled into the Green Door Store in Brighton as part of this tour. The last time they were in town was nearly a year ago, where they played The Joker, which sadly no longer hosts music concerts. Read our review of that concert HERE.
Nick and Kat were this evening in Brighton to plug their latest album ‘Only Now Forever’, which although laden with their signature dark, electronic pop filled with waves of synthesisers, flourishes of surf guitar and sequences driving with nervous energy, is on first listening, signalling a slight deviation in their sound. A good deviation mind you. There’s now a hint of seductive vocals from Kat in the same ilk as Chris & Cosey or even Jane Birkin, coupled with a slightly smoother sound.
The Green Door Store audience were set on the path by opening one man act called Autumns. This is the brainchild of Derry born Christian Donaghe, who I had the pleasure talking to prior to his set. It seems as though he doesn’t work from a setlist as it goes, as a majority of his electronic music and distorted vocals is made on a improv basis. Christian refers to his music as ‘no wave electronics’. His sound this evening reminded me of DAF and the excellent AK/DK without the drumming (although Christian can actually drum) as well as sounding like a couple of Danish lads that go by the name of Code Walk and also similar to a guy called James Kent who is based in Paris and goes by the name Perturbator. Autumns warmed the Green Door Store crowd up rather nicely for The KVB performance to follow.
More on Autumns here:
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
On entering the Green Door Store stage, The KVB were greeted by a warm welcome by the eclectic packed crowd. This evening we were treated to 14 tracks spanning from their releases over the past six years. The duo were using their customary projectors which were screening images behind them and on the available left hand wall of the venue.
Tonight it seemed as though Kat’s synths sounds were higher in the mix than Nick’s guitar-work, but to be honest, I really didn’t mind as I love synths. At times, we were treated to an onslaught of heavy bass synth notes that were so meaty that it made my hairs tingle! You can’t beat a bit of heavy synth!
Half of the new ‘Only Now Forever’ platter was given an outing this evening and they blended perfectly into their most enjoyable atmospheric set. Track after track we were taken on a sonic journey of epicness and the crowd willingly followed.
Despite both of them feeling a tad under the weather because of colds, they did actually seemed to be enjoying themselves and were clearly feeding off of the positive feedback that the excited crowd were offering them.
It was a difficult decision as to which concert for myself to personally cover tonight in Brighton, as there were no less than five of note that could have been chosen. The highlights of which were David Byrne (read our review HERE) and Dream Wife (read our review HERE), and Kat was fully aware of this fact and gave a very special thank you for those in the crowd that had attended tonight. This was my choice as I have purchased all of their albums!
I’m looking forward to seeing them drop by into Brighton again in 2019 – hint hint!
Tonight’s setlist for The KVB ‘Only Now Forever’ tour reads:
‘Only Now Forever’ (taken from 2018 ‘Only Now Forever’ album)
‘Always Then’ (taken from 2017 ‘Always Then Revisited’ 2017/2012 ‘Always Then’ albums)
‘In Deep’ (taken from 2016 ‘Of Desire’ album)
‘Afterglow’ (taken from 2018 ‘Only Now Forever’ album)
‘Awake’ (taken from 2016 ‘Of Desire’ album)
‘On My Skin’ (taken from 2018 ‘Only Now Forever’ album)
‘Violet Noon’ (taken from 2018 ‘Only Now Forever’ album)
‘White Walls’ (taken from 2016 ‘White Walls’ album)
‘Night Games’ (taken from 2016 ‘White Walls’ album)
‘Never Enough’ (taken from 2016 ‘White Walls’ album)
‘From Afar’ (taken from 2014 ‘Out Of Body’ EP)
‘Above Us’ (taken from 2018 ‘Only Now Forever’ album)
(encore)
‘Here It Comes’ (taken from 2017 ‘Always Then Revisited’ 2017/2012 ‘Always Then’ albums)
‘Dayzed’ (taken from 2013 ‘Immaterial Visions’ album)
You may wish to do yourself a massive favour and check out The KVB releases HERE.
For more information on the band, visit their website: http://www.thekvb.co.uk/
A big shout out goes to the lovely Polly at Acid Box for putting the gig on.
If you enjoy synth music like the The KVB, then the chances are that you will also enjoy the bands listed below. Simply click on each of the names and they will take you to our concert reviews on those bands:
Fröst, The Human League, Blancmange, Vile Electrodes, Digitalis, Battery Operated Orchestra, Halo Maud, Sextile, Gary Numan, Orbital, Pinkshinyultrablast, B-Movie, Covenant, AK/DK, Blue Hawaii, OMD, The Fin., Heaven 17, Austra.
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