Review: Kae Tempest at The Rechabite

Kae Tempest at The Rechabite

w/ Erasers

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Kae Tempest delivered the most profoundly fearless, feel-good show of the year last Wednesday.

It's an early crow, for sure. But come year's end it's impossible to imagine another concert that could possibly fill the hearts of a sold out venue the way Tempest did with a unique combination of nimble wordplay and a whole lotta heart.

It began with gratitude. “I'm here, you're here as well," Tempest said to ensure the crowd was aware of its role in proceedings. Because a Kae Tempest “concert," for want of a better word, is akin to a spiritual experience. It takes the audience to church, with all the communal devotion that implies, minus the religious tropes.

Support act Erasers also kicked off their performance with gratitude. An acknowledgement of country was followed by half an hour of dreamy, droning indie rock, much of which was performed by the two-piece via a twin synth attack. Erasers' reputation for mellifluence has come a long way, and playing to sold out rooms like this is just reward.

Proving a warm and funny host, Kae Tempest delivered a five-minute spoken introduction akin to a brief TED talk, as articulate as their best lyrics. Then the lights dimmed and from there the banter ceased and the songs came thick and fast. Just as it had been explained to us: firstly, new album The Line is a Curve, performed in nearly its entirety. Then a selection of older favourites. Then a few new ones.

Priority Boredom and I Saw Light provided an atmospheric start (sadly Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten, who'd been in town for Laneway, didn't make an appearance on the latter as he does on the record).

No Prizes began the build: “I just wanna keep climbing," Tempest intoned. Then the huge tree cast as backdrop lit up for Salt Coast, as if to show us how far we still have to climb. The latter contains some of the new album's more profound lyrics: take “There you are, hedonistic, self-destructive, insecure/ Trying to get away from the mistakes you've made before" for a gut-punch, or how about “Six hours into some TV show that tastes like the feeling of pizza," for some relatable feels.

Tempest's albums are structured like live shows, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that their records end big. Third last on the latest is Move, which dropped like a banging electro number as Tempest promised “I'll fight you till I win." That segued into their biggest hit, More Pressure, and the musical release was bigger still.

That was just the new album. The hits set featuring Europe is Lost, Ketamine for Breakfast and Circles among others, was simply stunning. And it was no surprise this portion of the set then ended on the big closing three from second-to-last album The Book of Traps and Lessons.

Firesmoke was one for the lovers, before Holy Elixer came crashing through the speakers. Arguably track of the night, its lyrics dismantle past storytelling and reimagine history, while the music care of synthesiser maestro Hinako Omori built to a mind-bending post-electronic crescendo. It was simply magnificent to behold, giving way to Traps and Lessons' equally powerful closer, Brexit anthem People's Faces.