KOYO
For many venues, bare brick walls, dodgy stairs and extremely ‘distressed’ paintwork would suggest that decorators and a bit of TLC were required. But this is Shoreditch, London’s Hipster Central, so we can probably pass off this upstairs venue as ‘shabby chic’. Punters clearly aren’t deterred, and are here in healthy numbers for the first proper London gig from Leeds-based KOYO.
With little fanfare, the band take their positions on a tightly packed stage. The venue fills with the extended spacey synth and jangly effects-laden guitar noise-fest intro to Strange Bird In The Sky, with its Hawkwindmeets-Radiohead vibe, and frontman Huw Edwards’ fine, high vocal lines.
The band almost wilfully defy easy pigeonholes. While Dave Brock and Thom Yorke’s crews are surely influences, almost every song tonight departs from any expected script in some way. Jettisoned starts out as a psychedelic bossa nova, yet has expansive choruses and swampy blues rock interludes, with a big middle section and a guitar solo.
Ray Of Sunshine is based on a serious rhythm section groove getting progressively dirtier, has a head-spinning bass/noise workout middle section presaging some early 70s rock moments, and morphs into a post-rock, syncopated denouement.
The band’s clever use of prerecorded tracks and triggered samples, courtesy of both keyboard player Jacob Price and drummer Tom Higham, are utilised to terrific effect throughout the set, particularly on songs such as Jouska.
KOYO are a slightly different beast live compared to the minimal studio material released so far. Lost In The Kingdom, possibly the most obviously classic, symphonic, prog-tinged track they’ve released, with its epic intro, becomes a harder edged, more febrile proposition on stage, more alt-rock and grunge than minstrels and elves.
Set closer Tetrachromat (Parts 1 & 2), which Prog readers might have caught on a recent covermount CD, also takes on a different persona live. Joined by Laurie Covell on sax, the 60s pop vocal harmonies and lazy flow of the first half contrast with the steady build of the band from almost nothing to all guns blazing, while Covell turns in some great playing throughout the elongated instrumental Part 2. The track dissolves into an organised chaos ending and the band leave the stage to the strains of wailing keyboards and messed-up feedback.
It’s a short set from a young band turning many heads at the moment. KOYO are clearly canny, playing a number of free gigs in carefully selected venues. There’s more than a touch of the shoegazing hipster about them, but they tie together many genres and feels, and are more raw and compelling live than their studio work might suggest.