Live Review

Kid Wave, Birthdays, London

6th October 2014

Kid Wave know what they’re doing. They also know what everyone else is doing too, and they don’t care.

Words: Carolina Faruolo
Photos: Carolina Faruolo
10th October 2014

There’s nothing more refreshing than a new band stepping out with such confidence that it looks like they’ve been around forever. Kid Wave know what they’re doing. They also know what everyone else is doing too, and they don’t care.

Between a busy schedule supporting Childhood on their UK tour, the quartet stop over in London for a packed headline show - because who needs a day off anyway? Set opener ‘All I Want’ kicks in vibrant and airy with a melancholic tone, inviting everyone to dance and the usual awkward space between stage and crowd is quickly filled by curious fans who want to get as close to the action as possible.

Warm but powerful, Lea Emmery's vocals on 'Gloom' (the song they present as "the one that got us the deal with Heavenly") are a head-bangers' paradise, and just when you think the show can't get any better, Ben from tour-mates Childhood makes a guest appearance to perform a stunning cover of 'Listen To Her Heart' by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

Fuzzy, effortless and ambitious are the words to sum up this performance, it's just the kind of addictive indie rock that keeps your mind in an endless teenage dream. For many here it might have been the most exciting gig they've seen in months. For Kid Wave it's only the beginning.