REVIEW : Mount Kimbie // O2 Ritz Manchester
| 30th October 2017
A Saturday night in central Manchester is bound to be busy, but upon approaching the O2 Ritz crowds of people were eagerly awaiting to be let into the much loved venue. Electronic duo, Mount Kimbie, finally returned to Manchester to perform a spell binding set.
If you haven’t heard of Mount Kimbie before, firstly where have you been? But secondly, the hardest part is defining their sound. The sound of the duo, made up of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos, is so unexplainable that shows like this are the perfect way to experience it.
Upon taking to the stage a faint sound from their synths circled the room. From the first few seconds each and every audience member was transported into the world in which the band wanted you to be in. As the track progressed a faint drum beat began and the synths began to climax. This track, Four Years and One Day, perfectly opened the show in the same way that it opens their latest album Love What Survives.
From the first few seconds of Marilyn, the crowd erupted into pure joy. The track that’s built on a thumb piano figure, smoothly swirled around the crowd. As soon as the lyrics “I’m looking up at you, yeah” were played, the crowd burst into singing back to the duo on stage. The vocals provided by Micachu in this track are captivating and stunning. Yet they worked perfectly while the track progresses into horns and different tempos.
The set transcended through the bands discography dipping in and out of their previous albums and EP’s. An instrumental version of their track with King Krule, You Took Your Time, provided a slower and smoother pace to the set. This only teasing if Archie Marshall’s vocals would make an appearance during the set.
That of course being true in the final track. The faint repetition of the snare being tapped and the slow climax of a synth symbolized the opening to the much loved track Blue Trainlines. The lyrics sung by Archie Marshall aka King Krule “here’s another thing…” erupted as the crowd looked relieved that this track was being played.
The duo left the stage momentarily, only for the crowd to go and chant one more song. One more song is what they got, as the band shortly resurfaced. The final song, Made To Stray, was played and the crowd burst into a euphoric scene of dancing. The lights behind the band mimicked the beat of the song and each and every audience member was transported into the song.
As soon as the band left the stage and the lights came up, the bubble burst. Everyone was back into the sweaty room of the O2 Ritz. But that didn’t stop the shinning on people’s faces. The band provided a feel good Saturday night for everyone involved.