Kaiit @ Mojos
w/ Hyclass, Butter
Saturday, November 10, 2018
If you were wondering where all the trendy people were last Saturday, they were at Mojos. A better dressed or more effortlessly cool crowd has never been assembled! They were in Freo to see Kaiit, current queen of Aussie future-soul. A style inspiration in her own right with a recent interview featured in Vogue UK, the sartorial songstress had sold out her first headline show in WA.
There were good vibes from the get-go, with a fairly full room early on and local act on the rise Butter melting the audience into a slick dancefloor. The best part about this band is their sheer delight at being on stage; it’s compelling! One friend even went so far as to say “they’re having so much fun it brings joy to my heart,” and you can’t get a better review than that. Playing a mix of jazz, soul, and hip hop with a vocalist who has the drawl of King Krule whilst maintaining an Aussie accent, they are definitely worth checking out if you can. Plus, as a bonus treat, Jamilla joined in for a track.
Next up was recent WAMAward winner Hyclass. Flawless in her delivery, she brought the rap element of the night and was joined on stage by DJ Rae and Natalie Mae, who has an incredible voice. Aside from their original tracks (hands up if you noticed the nod to Busta Rhymes’ Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check) they also performed an arrangement of Ghost Town DJ’s My Boo, which had everyone singing along. A favourite around Perth for not only her music but undoubtedly for her banter as well, she kept the crowd in high spirits making jokes and spreading good sensations. The sweetest portion of the evening was when she announced Rae and Natalie Mae’s engagement the night before, touting she “loves love”, which honestly seemed to be the theme of the night.
Continuing the love-in, as Kaiit and collaborator Jaydean walked on stage the packed venue erupted into a cheer. When it became apparent the duo were performing to a backing track it was slightly disappointing – it would be absolutely incredible to see them play with a live band – but it didn’t put a dampener on the mood, especially as they launched into tracks like 2000 n Somethin and OG Luv Kush. During the set, Kaiit previewed unreleased songs like Lemonade, as well as playing tracks from her recently released EP and singles such as Natural Woman. With a voice that belies her age, already having a musical signature “woo woo woo”, and her strong stage presence, Kaiit seems like she has been doing this forever. Constantly expressing her gratitude, she is humble, friendly, and allows herself to be emotional.
Between songs the audience applauded as vigorously as expected, but during them, were almost completely silent as if mesmerised. It’s fair to say Kaiit’s voice is hypnotic, but even she seemed shocked, repeatedly declaring “it is literally quiet”. In fact at one point she took a minute out to simply “look at [everyone] for a little bit”.
It wasn’t all silence and reflection though. In a moment of catharsis and crowd participation, she had the room chanting “the only thing this mouth is going to be saying is f**k you” before leading into a track, and one lucky lady was brought on stage for a rendition of Happy Birthday. But it was final song of the night OG Luv Kush pt. 2 that had everybody singing along. Explaining that the lyrics “make you think it’s about weed but really it’s [about] my love”, Kaiit and Jaydean performed it twice before shedding a little tear and bidding us farewell. There was a lot of love in the room from both the audience and the performers on Saturday and it truly felt like a very special night.
SHANNON FOX
