“Hello everyone, we’re so happy to be back”
For 2 years the beloved fans of the indie synth-pop act Kero Kero Bonito were kept in the waiting for a homecoming spectacle beseeching the nation’s capital. Now, packed into the sweat-infested enclosures of Heaven, Sarah Bonito & Co. left nothing to the imagination as we collectively descended into an ethereal, holistic journey through the joyous wonders of modern synth-pop, Japanese city pop, and dream pop.
In spite of this holy trinity to Bonito’s sounds, they proved, as ever, onerous to pin down throughout the night. At points, reciting cutesy indie-pop within ‘Make Believe’ and ‘Lipslap’, at other moments, inciting grunge-ified anthems of ‘Only Acting’ mixed with elements of glitch pop. No matter what the recital entailed, the sold-out crowd revelled in the marvellous modern makings of Sarah Bonito and her versatile entourage.
As the sweat and condensation dripped incessantly from the baked ceiling and walls, some inevitable lulls crept into Bonito’s set as the energetic and convincing synth-pop made way for more ambient and dulcet tones consuming ‘21/04/20’ and ‘Swimming’. Whilst many of these tracks faded into distant memory on this long-awaited Friday night, the insatiable appetite for modern synth-pop from the majority of this crowd quickly became crystal clear.
"We love you Sophie."
None seemed to feed this more so than the act’s pertinently resounding tribute to the late musician and producer Sophie, whom Sarah Bonito had collaborated with over the years. With a burgeoning recital of ‘Burn Rubber’, those packed into the intimate venue raised their fists in the air as an outpour of emotions and gratitude flowed through the tender faces in remembrance of one of our lost, great producers.
And whilst many on their Friday night began their weekend-long festivities, the crowd in Heaven enacted a venue-wide trampoline-style mosh pit with ‘Trampoline’ as the act’s grande finale. Yet it appears the extremes of Bonito’s sound is where the act sat most comfortably and sounded most convincing tonight. For where the aforementioned provided a riveting sense of mania, the latter track of ‘I’d Rather Sleep’ softened the final punch as Sarah was carried off via her bed. It seems as if the quirky stylistics and perfected production from Kero Kero Bonito knows no bounds as the trio delivered a psychedelic, energetic and indelible homecoming show compensating for our lost 2 years together.
7/10
Kero Kero Bonito's latest EP, Civilisation II, is out now and can be found here.
All photos are courtesy of Linda Brindley whose work can be found here.
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