Photos by Corinne Ryan
The Uncluded (i.e., the unlikely rap-folk collaboration between singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson and indie rapper Aesop Rock) performed at World Cafe Live in Philly on 5/29 (Hamell on Trial was the opener). The duo’s first collaboration album Hokey Fright is out now (listen on Spotify). While the subject matter of the album is mostly serious (inspired by conversations regarding grief and mortality), the delivery is disarming in the quirky & oddball manner you would expect from a Kimya collaboration (FYI, Kimya first gained notoriety as a founding member of The Moldy Peaches). While the pairing is as out of left field as you could imagine, it works surprisingly well – despite the extreme contrast of musical styles, it melds seamlessly while still sounding uniquely characteristic of each respective artist.
The Uncluded’s performance in Philly was only their 2nd show together. Even though they admitted to being nervous (with Kimya showing the audience her shaky hands numerous times), their performance went off without a hitch. At the end of their set, they came into the audience and hugged everybody.
Learn how The Uncluded got together (as well as the inspiration for their name) here. Below is the official music video for “Earthquake” from Hokey Fright. See all of The Uncluded’s tour dates here.
Keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
