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Who the f@*k is Kelsy Karter? reads the t-shirt. If you don’t know yet, you really should make the effort to find out because hers was without doubt the show of the year so far – and it’ll take something truly special to beat it.
LA’s Kenzo Cregan opened up proceedings at Leeds’ Key Club with a great collection of bluesy, rock songs. It looked like everyone on stage was enjoying their first tour of the UK, but none more than bassist Jake Minter. Now, this wasn’t the first time I’ve witnessed a bassist in dressing gown rocking the hell out – but that says more about me than them – point being he must have been sweating his arse off during the set, the highlight of which was a raucous Squeeze.
Next up was Leicester’s Chloe Ann – a more than adequate stand in for Gen and the Degenerates who unfortunately had to pull out of the show late on due to an injury to a band member – her set was a full on expression of joy at full volume. New single Home sounded great and her set was extremely enjoyable.
With Grandpa’s I’ve Got A Golden Ticket song from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory played over the P.A. the main event was about to begin – and it was blatantly obvious it was going to be fun. LOTS of fun!
With Kelsy and her band mates ribbing each other all night long, the size of the venue and the overall vibe of the evening, this felt more like you’d been invited round to a friends for the night. Intimate, close up and personal and very, very special.
During the course of the show you experienced pretty much every single emotion possible, joy, elation, sadness and vulnerability, the latter being plain to see when Kelsy was asked to play Villain towards the end of the set. Which she reluctantly did – but explained it takes her right back to a place she isn’t in anymore and doesn’t want to revisit.
Awarding a ‘best-dressed’ fan with a framed and autographed pair of underwear, and performing for the first time a song she’d written for a fan – who was in attendance – shows how much time she has for her fans who are not only adoring, but rabid. The best kind.
With plenty of tracks from her 2020 ‘Missing Person’ album being aired, and a few of them as beautifully stripped back versions, along with a few great covers, most notably a raucous and sweaty version of Blondie’s Call Me, which was preceded by an fantastic 70’s jam build up by her incredible band of Brits (2 of whom are single apparently), you really get a the full picture of who Kelsy Karter is.
Electrifying, engaging and with a voice that will stop you in your tracks she’s an absolute star, destined for huge things. That’s who the f@*K Kelsy Karter is.
For a full set of images from the night click here