Miike Snow w/ Kaneholler
Showbox, Seattle, WA
04.10.16
Electro-soul power duo Kaneholler took the stage in front of a sold out crowd at The Showbox and Jon Foster wasted no time demanding the lights be brought down low to “make it sexy.” A ballsy move like that requires follow through and the band certainly delivered.
Chelsea Tyler commanded the stage with confidence as she and Foster delivered what became an electronic-dance music lounge experience. From new tracks like “Make it Happen” to their ode to the phenomenal Nina Simone in their cover of “Sinnerman,” they showed off a truly diverse dichotomy of music styles.
The stage lights dropped impossibly lower and Miike Snow – the Swedish indie pop band comprised of Andrew Wyatt, Christian Karlsson (Bloodshy), and Pontus Winnberg (Avant) – took the stage. They’re touring in support of iii, their first album in four years – released March 3rd – and incidentally their first tour in as many.
MS have toned down their set up a little for this club tour from the what they used while leading festival lineups and playing giant stages a few years back. There was no room for their infamous Blob, a 9’x9′ synthesizer composed of some of Giorgio Moroder’s old equipment that was designed and built by the band for their 2012 tour with Pontus as one of the main engineers.
And so it began, the light towers behind the band lit up and they dove into their first few songs. As the show progressed, Wyatt vexingly spent a large amount of time hidden in the back on the piano. Perhaps it was just stage design of the Showbox but the placement remained strange. It wasn’t long however before Wyatt, Bloodshy & Avant had the entire crowd moving with their tunes from the old, like “Paddling Out” to newer stuff like the incredibly infectious “Genghis Kahn.”
All in all, it was fantastic to see MS take the stage again after an extended hiatus and the night even came with a few surprises from the impeccable vocals of Kaneholler’s Chelsea Tyler. Good show Miike Snow, good show.
Review and photos by David Endicott
Miike Snow
Kaneholler
