Three blank screens lined Majestic’s stage last Thursday night, and what played in front of them were vastly different, unpredictable movies, like you couldn’t choose one and decided to watch all three.
Kilo Kish transported us to outer space with her glitchy, hypnotic synth-pop. Her sharp-cropped hair and iridescent dress flashed while the athletic performer danced before beat-coordinated lights. She was the cool girl dancing by herself in a club, and everyone couldn’t help but watch. Kish was a temptress, coaxing us in with her smooth and controlled voice, which blended into the entrancing beats produced by Ray Brady.
Wet’s softer dream-pop was a warm bath lined with candles, surrounded by soft pink lights. The beat backing lead singer Kelly Zutrau consisted of stretched-out guitar strums, taking their time to highlight her poetry. Lyricism carries Wet, with Zutrau’s wide-ranged vocals needing nothing more than pale lights over the blank backdrop, matching the subdued pop rhythm.
What connected these performers to movies was the expressive delivery of each song. They used their entire bodies; in Kilo Kish’s case, that meant hardly standing still throughout her hour-long set, twitching with each of Brady’s ticks and pops. Wet was the opposite — a quieter flick — standing stone still staring into the audience but radiating passion from her tense face. They were reminders of intersections between artistic forms.
Hana Vu set the stage perfectly in her opener set for the unpredictable night ahead. She stood with just her guitar, but her music was as dynamic as if she had a full band. Her bold, soulful voice bellowed out of her small frame and over cloudy guitar riffs she expertly played. She fused rock, shoegaze and some funk to get a concoction of her beautiful debut album, How Many Times Have You Driven By, and hearing her low voice croon it live made me relapse into my Hana Vu addiction.
Both Wet and Kilo Kish showcased tracks off their new releases. Kilo Kish’s EP, mothe, exhibits her flexibility as she seamlessly trails from rap to sensual singing, bursting through Brady’s thick sound. She took up the whole stage, claiming it for her own like the queen she is. Her strength and coolness made me aware she could take on anyone — her show was like an intergalactic battle, and no alien could mess with her.
Wet recently dropped their first full-length in two years, Still Run. Some tracks were stripped down, just Zutrau sharing stories of heartbreak and being a woman on tour with a voice you’d hear in a warm coffee house. They performed early fan-favorites “You’re the Best” and “Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl,” which defined the growth the band’s seen in between records. Their slow, simple set came rightfully at the end, as my old bones were exhausted by the time they were halfway through. The transition from Kilo Kish’s danceable synth-pop felt abrupt going into Wet’s bedroom-pop.
All three acts vibrated with synths and dreamy vocals throughout the theater, like a cinema’s surround sound wrapped the audience in its mood and story. The enchanting singers kept us mindlessly swaying, almost like we were lounging while the movies sprawled on the screens. Like any good movie, time became meaningless and three hours felt like minutes. The diverse sample platter of music left my mouth watering for another full entrée performance from each incredible performer.
Sammy Gibbons is the editor-in-chief for The Daily Cardinal. To read more of her work, click here.
