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Kero Kero Bonito performed to a sold out crowd at PhilaMOCA in Philly on Thursday, 10/18. Tanukichan (the solo project of Oakland-based Hannah Van Loon), who just released her full length debut LP titled Sundays, was the opener.
I do not kid when I say KKB is basically a mashup of everything I love about pop music. Their sound runs the pop gamut, but my favorite lazy analogy would be The Cardigans meets Puffy AmiYumi… or maybe Teenage Fanclub meets L.A.M.B.-era Gwen Stefani, but without the cultural appropriation. These analogies might sound like nonsense, but you get the gist that their sound is hard to peg down.
KKB’s set began with Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled playing the intro to Time ‘n’ Place opening track “Outside” (on drums and bass guitar), before being joined on stage by the rest of the band and singer Sarah Midori Perry. During their set, Gus swapped between drums and synths – during a pause when he needed to adjust the levels of his synths, members from the audience took it as an opportunity to share their best imitation of his British accent, which he took in stride with a sense of humor. Early on in their set, they performed a faithful-to-the-LP rendition of “Only Acting” which even included the CD skipping part, as well as the rest of the effects.
Taking a moment to talk to the audience, Sarah mentioned that they had recently taken their first trip to Target to purchase miscellaneous sundries, which is notable because big-box stores are apparently not a thing back in the UK. Any brief reprieve was welcome, as it gave the audience a reason to stop moving in hopes to cool down the temperature of the sweltering PhilaMOCA. After performing Bonito Generation breakout hit “Picture This” they left the stage, but returned to close out the night with an encore performance of “Trampoline”. It was at this time that Gus managed to almost fall off the stage, because he is not a fan of being fed Campbell’s soup from a can by bandmates. Because KKB fans respect the personal space of others, only mild moshing ensued. See the full setlist below.
KKB will be continuing on their North American tour with their final date being a show at Market Hotel in Brooklyn on 11/18… it’s already sold out, but keep an eye on this page in case additional tickets are released. See all of their upcoming tour dates here. Also, check out their brand new video for “Flyway” below.
Keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
Setlist:
– Outside
– Lipslap
– Flamingo
– Only Acting
– You Know How It Is
– Time Today
– If I’d Known
– Break
– My Party
– Fish Bowl
– Sick Beat
– Make Believe
– Homework
– Pocket Crocodile
– Visiting Hours
– Flyway
– Swimming
– Cinema
– Picture This
Encore
– Trampoline
