Mount Kimbie delivered Manchester a night of lucid instrumental storytelling and emotional resonance while touring their fourth studio album. The Sunset Violent might be their most intimately cooperative yet, with Andrea Balency-Bearn and Marc Pell’s contributions since becoming official members in 2023; their involvement held more magnitude than ever. Long-time friend and collaborator King Krule made an appearance on ‘Boxing’ and ‘Empty and Silent’, their voices interlacing more than ever before.
There was a diverse crowd at New Century Hall; it seemed as though all the moustache-mullet boys in the world had an innate pact to populate the venue. Girls paraded in long skirts and slick-back hair, with a sophisticated yet casual tranquillity that oozed congeniality. Some sat on the floor in groups, awaiting George Riley who filled in for Nabihah Iqbal as support – others stood above them, eagerly saving their place ready for the main act.
George Riley wooed with her breathy, sensual introduction, swiftly hyping up the crowd as her set went on with a drum-and-bass cover of Diamonds by Rhianna. On entry, Balency-Bearn stood centre-stage in a Beige trench coat; sandwiched between Dom Maker and Kai Campos at the front. Behind them was bassist Tyra and drummer Marc Pell, overlaying a curtain of The Sunset Violent album cover.
Balency-Bearn’s addition to Mount Kimbie’s music, or rather, performance, provides the pinch of radiant expression which does the seemingly impossible job of bridging the genre gap between electronic-garage-dance to alternative-road-trip-in-your-Twenties-indie music. Or in simpler words, the difference between a mellow (if even possible) night out at Hidden and a (rarely achievable) good night out at 42s. Her voice, although delicate, holds a lot of power in its multi-dimensionality – which is why her performance on this tour matters more than other live contributions.
Apart from ‘Before I Move Off’ and ‘Made to Stray’ providing that brief electronic-garage-dance break, the setlist was a compilation of their more alternative works. ‘Four Years and One Day’, from their most popular studio album Love What Survives, was the initiating track of the performance. It served as a very defining, introduction to the group despite not actually saying anything at all – it had a very prominent beat, but just enough synth to keep its genre undefined.
This was followed by ‘You Look Certain (I’m Not So Sure)’, the only song they performed where the male voice, Maker, seemed to lead. A catchy, dominating chorus paid its odes to Damon Albarn with its clear, modest assertion. Balency-Bearn briefly retired from her centre-stage spot to admire the beat, dancing around her (maybe self-designated) parameter to communicate her unison with the rest of the group.
‘A Figure In The Surf’ was a sonically edging, enigmatic mid-set transition to ‘The Sunset Violent’, with a riff that just about managed to keep your ears tuned – making you wonder when the wave will plunge and swoop you away into the next song. Then came the first single ‘Dumb Guitar’ with its facetiously romantic declarations and titular album reference. Dulcet, coming of age sighs that you could utter with intent as your hair blows with the windows down. It was like a play on Wolf Alice, on the train, frustrated with the predictability of love kind of music. However, the album itself is more influenced by the likes of Sonic Youth and Pixies according to a playlist the band shared on Spotify.
Lights personified the music throughout the set, and they were milder during these moments of lyricism. ‘Fishbrain’ is a recently released single and came right before the group disappeared to prepare for encore. Voices hummed the words with slight undertones of disappointment that this may have been the final song. ‘Made To Stray’ retrieved everyone’s interest, a more substantial, upbeat end to the gig that got the audience dancing away.
‘Empty and Silent’ accompanied prior to this track but didn’t seem to attract as much attention – there were screams of “Where’s King Krule?” filling the room from fans who were aware of his attendance at London. Nevertheless, the ambience, interaction, and delivery from the group was impeccable and highly pleasing to everyone who came to appreciate it.
