If you were to see indie-pop trio KYTES over in their homeland of Germany, you would likely see them packing out the country’s biggest festival stages. But here in the UK, the band are only just starting to make a name for themselves, creating a word-of-mouth following from their absolutely electric live shows. So, with the band stopping by Nottingham for a super intimate performance in The Chapel on a buzzing Halloween weekend, we knew we had to go along…
As a big fan of The Angel, it seemed wrong that I had never been to a gig at The Chapel before now, with the loft venue situated in the upstairs of the much-loved microbrewery in Hockley. As soon as I walked into The Chapel’s cosy space it seemed even more incredulous, with the room seemingly the perfect spot for sweaty and intimate, 100-cap shows.
Reminiscent of The Chameleon (RIP) but with the bonus of an actual stage so that your eyesight of the artist performing isn’t blocked by the person in front, as well as a dedicated bar at the back, this is a Notts venue we must use more and protect at all costs.
First on the bill tonight are local indie rockers Set The Fire who, despite three of the four of them apparently down with a cold, sound fantastic. The choruses are big and anthemic, while the musicianship of each band member is mightily impressive too.
Their short 8-song set flies by, with tracks like The Mirror, Become The Prey and Stay all standing out.
Next up is Mansfield rock trio Killing Aura, who have more than a few of their own fans in the venue tonight. As they blitz through their energetic set, the group stood next to us are sporting T-shirts carrying the band’s name, singing along to every song and even busting out a bit of two-stepping at several points.
It’s another impressive support set, with charismatic frontman Flash and bassist Lanckham joking with each other and the crowd between songs, too.
As I head to the bar between bands, I overhear conversations from others in attendance tonight that they discovered KYTES through their support slot with King No-One at Rescue Rooms earlier this year – the same place I myself first saw them perform and was instantly bowled over. We also get chatting to a couple dressed like Kermit The Frog and Miss Piggy from The Muppets (it is Halloween after all!), who caught the band at Y Not Festival over the summer, where I was also able to catch them for a second time.
As I look around at the full room, it’s encouraging to see that a lot of these people have turned up for a band that they probably didn’t know about this time last year, but discovered through getting down early to watch a support band, or deciding to catch a relatively unknown band in a small tent at a festival. Based on tonight’s performance from KYTES, I can only hope more people are inspired to do the same because you never know – that band may just go on to give you one
of the best live experiences you’ve had all year.
From the first note to the last, the KYTES trio pour their passion, sweat and vibrant energy into every part of their set. Welcoming the exuberant crowd to their “indie rave”, there’s no pauses between tracks as each song instantly transitions into the next one, ensuring not a minute is wasted. Every single track is a highlight too, whether it’s singing along to super catchy cuts like Runaway, Go Out and Friend of A Friend, grooving along to the funky rhythms of Remedy and Alright, or being moved by the band’s love letter to each other, Younger.
There are even a few covers thrown in, too, firstly A-ha’s classic Take On Me with the crowd belting along the words, before Crystal Fighters’ I Love London is flipped to cowbell-backed cries of “I Love Nottingham!”
They then get the whole place bouncing with a few bars of Bellini’s classic football anthem, Samba de Janeiro. It's all such a whirlwind haze of euphoria, with the crowd – including myself – dancing ecstatically along the whole way.
However, the biggest highlight of the evening comes in the form of KYTES’ guitar-driven anthem Apricosa, a mostly instrumental track that turns The Chapel into a joyous frenzy. So much so, that the trio play it twice – once midway through the set and then once more towards the end at the crowd’s behest. “Apricosa twice?! I don’t think this has ever happened before!” says frontman Michael Spieler, with a huge grin on his face when he acknowledges the crowd’s reaction to the track.
The second play through may be one of the most amazing live moments I’ve experienced at a Nottingham show all year, with Spieler and fellow vocalist/guitarist Kerim Öke both jumping into the crowd with their guitars, the crowd ardently circling round them as they blaze through the track’s intricate riffing, both dripping with sweat by the end of it.
There are some gigs you experience and you don’t want them to come to an end, and this was most certainly one of those gigs. KYTES are a band tailor made to get the party started on a Saturday night, but this gig felt like the whole damn party. One viewing of their live show and you’ll be converted into an instant fan but after this, their third local performance this year, their reputation as one of the best live acts around seems to be taking off here in Notts – and after all, KYTES are made for flying.
KYTES performed at The Chapel on 26th October 2024.
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