Read previous – Kero Kero Bonito @ PhilaMOCA (10/18/2018)
What a difference a year makes. The last time Kero Kero Bonito was in town was after the release of their spectacular sophomore LP Time ‘n’ Place – that tour had them booked at PhilaMOCA, a venue right down the street from Union Transfer but roughly 10x smaller. For lead vocalist, Sarah Midori Perry, it was an extra special night because they had just received notice that they would be playing the 2019 Coachella festival (alongside such artists as Kacey Musgraves, Janelle Monae, and Childish Gambino). Since then, they’ve been on the festival circuit abroad and just recently released a surprise 3-song EP titled Civilisation I. On the EP, KKB experiment with heavier themes/tones than on previous releases – the evolution in their sound is conspicuous, especially when compared to their ultra-poppy full length Bonito Generation debut LP.
KKB’s setlist at Union Transfer consisted of obvious bangers like “Flamingo”, “Sick Beat”, “Homework”, and “Picture This”, but they also broke out deeper cuts like “Dear Future Self” and “Sometimes”. For “Sometimes”, Midori Perry directed the audience to raise their phones to illuminate the venue to which they happily obliged. A circle pit, consisting exclusively of rowing/swimming dance moves, formed during the band’s performance of the relatively low-key track “Swimming” – it was a first for the band, as noted by multi-instrumentalist Gus Lobban. The crowd was also treated to some between-song entertainment in the form of “Hedwig’s Theme” and “Baby Shark”. For their encore, KKB performed an unexpected cover of U2’s “Vertigo” before closing out the night with crowd favorite “Trampoline” (video below).
Kero Kero Bonito will be continuing on their North American tour through Mid-November. See all of their upcoming tour dates here and keep scrolling below to see more photos from the show including opener Negative Gemini.
