There was a definite sense of anticipation for Kudu Blue’s first Brighton headline show: they’ve already blown away a fair few crowds as a support act, and so had no trouble filling out the Hope and Ruin. It was packed with fans, as well as a few industry types, for those who could spot them. There’s no doubt that this band have been building hype – this was their moment to convert hype into substance.

Kudu Blue emerge as Brighton’s champions of electro-soul, comfortably filling a niche that’s otherwise underrepresented in the local scene. If you stripped away the electronic elements, you might be left with a pop-rock sound, defined by a choppy rhythm section and powerful vocals, but the band go far beyond this. They’re made easily identifiable by Owen Crouch, who brings synths and samples to the fore. He both gives the band a unique sound, punctuating their songs with luscious swooshings and eerie echoes, gooey sloshes and space-age bleeps, and allows them all to experiment beyond the traditional instruments onstage.

This futurism may make them unusual, but wouldn’t be enough on its own to make them an exciting band – their promise and potential comes from the rest of the players onstage: the guitarist who embraces effects and pedals, leading the songs’ melodies; the rhythm section controlled the space and silence which the band use so well in their songwriting, and most of all, the lead vocals: Clementine Douglas’ voice could cut glass, and her delivery is harrowingly expressive.

They played an unfortunately short, but very effective set, covering only eight tracks. All were intense and compelling, from the pounding desperation of ‘Drink Alone’ to the glitchy plays on rhythm in latest release ‘NGFM’. Halfway through came a cover of Blu Cantrell and Sean Paul’s ‘Breathe’ – a song that, as a classic, anyone should be wary of taking on – but one which they refreshed rather than bastardised, with Clem turning the central melody into an almost impossible vocal part. They ended the show with two of their strongest tracks, first the atmospheric drama of ‘Vicinity’ and finally ‘Tobacco and Vanilla’, a song that gives an impression of having been built, rather than written: the guitar mirrors the vocals through the track, building to the release of the guitar and synth solos which burst out of the oceanic effects underneath.

They apparently didn’t plan for an encore, but the crowd definitely wanted one – for quite a while their applause drowned out the music that the venue stubbornly pushed through the PA. If Kudu Blue’s setlist was anything to go by, this was because they wanted to stick to their strongest material: they have a couple more songs online, but they had really trimmed the fat for this performance, making sure every song was among their best. It made for a shorter-than-usual gig, but one that delivered quality music from start to finish. If this concert was an indicator of what’s to come from Kudu Blue, it promised a lot.
Ben Noble

Read our interview with Kudu Blue here: http://brightonsfinest.com/html/index.php/9-articles/1464-kudu-blue-interview-2016

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