Industrial clamour meets pristine pop as Kate Boy headline London's Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

From our first exposure to the chunky, synthesized opening of ‘Northern Lights’, Kate Boy have been something of a fascination.

It says a great deal about their popularity, and the palpable excitement surrounding the Aussie/Swedish outfit, that their first UK show was a sold-out headline spot at one of London’s premier new music venues. The packed room was reminiscent of a Mediterranean festival; ideal then for the opening Euro-techno crescendo of noise that the four welcomed us with, before the set exploded into life.

Their matching black, military-esque attire looked as professional and thought-out as the performance. The most potent weapon, that industrial clamour of beats, sounded fuller and more exciting in this live setting; marching, pounding bass regularly lead up to heady choruses of screaming synths and a quite striking vocal. The electronic refrain of ‘In Your Eyes’ smashed through early in the piece like the soundtrack to the final level of your favourite computer game.

‘The Way We Are’ allowed them to thump sizable floor toms in front of appropriate strobe lighting, before its pinpoint, fist-pumping chorus exploded before an elongated cut of aforementioned debut ‘Northern Lights’ closed all the too short, first outing.

Set List
Parallel
In Your Eyes
Lion For Real
Tegel (Short Instrumental)
The Way We Are
Northern Lights