If you have not already acquainted yourself with Hiatus Kaiyote then now is the time, and to be fair, it won’t take you long as the Melbourne future-soul quartet have only got two albums to their name so far (2012’s Tawk Tomahawk and 2015’s Choose Your Weapon). However, their sound has won them immediate fans across the board including the likes of Giles Peterson and Q-Tip who did a verse for their first album, as well as getting them a Grammy nomination in 2013. Their second album was twice the length, arguably twice as good, and have made Hiatus Kaiyote a must see band for some music fanatics. This ran true in Brighton too, having been upgraded from Patterns to the Concorde 2 due to the sheer volume of ticket requests and yet it still sold out months in advance. I managed to see the tail end of their impressive set at Love Supreme Festival 2015, so this was a gig I was immensely excited about.
 
First up was one of Brighton’s most exciting up and coming bands Kudu Blue. I wish I had arrived a little earlier as I literally only heard the last half of their final song. Still the mellow electronic soul sound that they produce always impresses me, as it did for the surprisingly sizable crowd who gave a brilliant response.
 
Next was REMI, friend of Hiatus Kaiyote and one of the fast-rising Hip Hop acts in Australia. It was no surprise as to why this duo, Remi Kolawole on vocals and Sensible J x Dutch on drums and beats, have been given this label as throughout you could say they “owned” the audience. As they came on stage, Remi said that he was only here to warm up the crowd for the main act and he was certainly true to his word. His smooth unafraid persona almost had the audience mesmerized, getting everyone to dance and sing in unison to his songs. This was by no means the music of Wiz Khalifa or the kind of rubbish Kanye has put out recently, think more Lupe Fiasco or G-Funk, rapping to samples of Marlena Shaw and even a Radiohead song. However, the last couple of tracks did become a lot more aggressive, more like the Hip Hop tat that you might expect these days, which didn’t float with me but as you could probably imagine it did for some.
 
By the time Hiatus Kaiyote came on stage, the audience couldn’t have been more ready for their jazzy neo-soul sound and immediately got into two-stepping to the funkified beat. Ballistic keys, a smooth bass that would hit you deep and playful drums that would always keep you guessing, not forgetting dynamic lead singer Nai Palm’s remarkable vocals (an instrument in its self), created a genuinely jaw dropping groove that would dance around within its off-kilter time signatures. The beginning of the set showcased the bands more experimental side – switching between proggy jazz melodies, samba rhythms, dubby R&B electronica, and constantly showing off the groups wide range of musical influences. Halfway through the show, Hiatus Kaiyote played fan favourite ‘Nakamarra’ with the crowd becoming even more exuberant and raucous – a special moment when the whole crowd sang its chorus, “Love you, I love you, I love you I do”. With the atmosphere hitting the roof, it was easy to see why they have been compared with exceptional acts like Erykah Badu or Amy Winehouse, especially in ‘Be Fire’ where Nai Palm’s voice danced from crazy highs to deep lows in a glorious way. The highlight of the show had to be the anthemic and final song, ‘The World It Softly Lulls’, a spectacular track in itself but after one hour and forty-five minute set it was extraordinary.
 
With the majority of the audience being young students, and not to sound patronising, I hold hope for a future in music where things could actually change away from the current regurgitated pop cycle we seem to be stuck in, to more artistically expressive music like a Hiatus Kaiyote or a Ghostpoet. As I expected from a group who undeniably have everything – the perfect look, astonishing talent and incredible innovation – it was an outstanding show from start to finish. Having formed only in 2011, it is still extremely early days for Hiatus Kaiyote and that could easily be their downfall. I just hope being signed to Sony’s Flying Buddha record label doesn’t put pressure and restrain a band which obviously needs their creative freedom to ebb and flow, and not to be capped by over expectation. Yet if they get it right, Hiatus Kaiyote could be one of the biggest, most sought after and most respected soul bands in the world.
Iain Lauder