Kindness – Live Review

Kindness | Fabric, London | 22^nd June 2012

A proposition that seemed a little odd was going to check out one of the year’s best new artists playing live at London’s legendary club Fabric. The line-up for this Phantasy

takeover of all three of the venue’s room was spearheaded by the label’s creator Erol Alkan , whose set followed that of Master Bainbridge’s.

We arrived just in time to see the crowd’s whistle whet accordingly for Alkan’s headline performance by Phantasy’s latest recruit Daniel Avery

whose Need Electric EP was being launched. Room One was suitably electric as Avery wrapped his set up, many however probably didn’t expect the curve ball heading their way. Quarter to two in the morning is an unusual time for a band to start a set if not playing a festival yet that was the slot Kindness were charged with. Seamlessly picking up where Avery left off Bainbridge’s co-conspirators struck up the opening instrumental section of ‘SEOD’ as plumes of smoke were pumped into the confused yet nevertheless expectant room. As the thick synth melody kicked in and the lithe figure of Adam Bainbridge snaked its way to centre stage flanked by his two backing singers, the Fabric crowd swiftly settled into Kindness’ rhythm.

While World, You Need a Change of Mind, Kindness’ debut album doesn’t often reach the sort of tempo that those here to revel in all things Alkan were perhaps expecting, a charismatic performance drew any fence-sitters in swiftly. The extensive band set-up was spread rather thinly along the slim stage with a couple of members almost entirely out of view but this did not stop Bainbridge and his two backing singers breaking into impromptu dance at any available opportunity. Any available opportunity essentially meant constantly where the lead singer is concerned, his hips infectiously unsettled as he slipped around the stage like a James Brown on ice. As a front three, the trio delivered a tight yet gloriously unshackled performance that was both riotously entertaining and technically brilliant.

The issue of single ‘Gee Up’ lasting less than two minutes was brilliantly combatted by extending the track firstly into Womack and Womack’s classic ‘Teardrops’, then Anita Baker’s ‘Sweet Love’ before an attempt at Luniz ‘I Got 5 On It’ amusingly went off the rails. Recent single ‘House’ inspired a hearty sing-a-long from the crowd before perhaps the longest saxophone solo ever to occur in Fabric kicked off the riotously funky ‘That’s Alright

’. Bainbrige used this momentary relief from singing duty to maraud the crowd, bold considering the amount of suspiciously sweaty, amorous folk clasping bottles of water but returned to the stage intact to close out the set.

‘Cyan’ and ‘Doigsong’ followed and as the set drew to a close, Bainbridge gathered a handful of records from next to the drum kit and set off again into the crowd, this time cutting all the way through the dance floor and making his way into the DJ booth to join the night’s host Alkan. The set finished as it had begun, seamlessly blended and I have to admit that what could have been a difficult gig for Adam Bainbridge and co. turned out to be a triumph.