Welcome to the seventh guest blog post of Time Out Sydney's 52 Weeks of #SydCulture 2017 challenge! Every Wednesday of February, Heaps Gay founder, 'Queen of the Party' and Mardi Gras board member Kat Dopper is telling us what she loved the week before. Think of it as your recommendations for this week, from someone who sees a helluva lot of arts and culture. Over to Kat.
A small horde of Sydney music lovers took over the Chippendale Hotel on the evening of Friday February 24 for the latest instalment of the Red Bull Sound Select series. Full disclosure: I’m the artist rep for this project – which means I get to work with some amazing artists and curators.
Curated by FBi Radio this month (the events are curated on a rotating roster by FBi, I OH YOU and Laneway Festival), the lineup featured Kllo, Habits and Kimchi Princi – all for the low, low price of $3 (with RSVP).
Sydney’s Kimchi Princi was up first, and as always, took to the stage with contagious energy and presence. It’s amazing what this girl can do with little more than a beat, a microphone and her inimitable dance moves. Uber confident and unafraid to wear her sexuality on her sleeve, she started out her set zipped up to her chin in a windbreaker, before stripping that off to nothing more than a PVC sports bra. For my money, there is no act more entertaining in Sydney right now.
Where Kimchi is precocious and bubbly, Melbourne duo Habits are brooding and awesome, in the classic sense of the word. Indomitable on stage, and sounding like the maladjusted lovechild of Trent Reznor and Bjork if they were raised on a steady diet of trap, techno and detroit club, they make monumental music – with an emphasis on mental.
Moving between different atmospheres and moods, the Habits set highlighted both the diversity of their sound and their incredible ability to somehow weave a thread of consistency through it all. Sporting matching black mesh and excessively pencilled false eyebrows, Mo and Maia have sartorial swagger and showmanship to match their music; Maia even treated the audience to a little crowd visit taking the mic down into the pit and rubbing shoulders with the punters.
Headliners Kllo dialled back the intensity a little and turned up the intimacy. While they may not have been as energetic and enigmatic as their line-up mates, the Melbourne duo kept the audience captivated with their intricate production and singer Chloe Kaul’s sensual vocals.
Fearless in showcasing their pop leanings, Kaul and cousin/producer Simon Lam contrast this with chopped up electronic arrangements and progressive songwriting. Faultlessly translating the sound from record to a live forum, their set showcased not just their talent but their attention to detail; polished and refined, these two are a class act.
Held on the fourth Friday of every month, the Sound Select series supports local artists and venues as well as giving back to the fans via the oh-so-affordable tickets – all of which provides some much needed support to the live music industry. Not to mention throwing one hell of a party.
Hold the date for the next edition (March 31) which will see the series move into Marrickville, with some very special guests.
Read more about our 52 Weeks of #SydCulture challenge, and let us know what you're seeing/loving on Instagram via the hashtag #SydCulture.