Live Review: The Kite String Tangle, Flamingo, Skies

Soothing sensuality was the flavour of the night at the Adelaide UniBar on Friday. All three acts, two of which proudly Adelaidian, oozed deep synthesiser-driven pop that transported the audience to more pure and heavenly worlds.

Locals Skies were the first to make their impression upon the sold-out crowd and did so with charisma and sex appeal, an exciting feat for a band in only their third live performance. The most magical moment from what was a great set came in the form of vocalist Dusty Lee and his loop machine. Lee progressively layered smooth harmonies over a slow beatboxed rhythm until it formed a delicious a cappella to sing over.

The act was tight and polished, and in only their short existence Skies have already proven they are going places within the genre.

Twenty-month-old Adelaide heavyweights Flamingo were cast as main support and excelled in their live performance. Similar to an amalgamation of Ásgeir and Rufus, Flamingo’s tunes are sensual, deep and lush, providing the audience with a platform to experience the smooth and brilliant future of Australian music.

This relaxed electronica directly contrasts the band’s onstage presence, specifically that of lead vocalist Kacee Heidt’s – a jolty visual spectacle which was still achieved despite Heidt needing to wear a moonboot for an injured leg. The set was phenomenal and made the headliner feel more than welcome when he finally reached the stage.

Danny Harley, aka The Kite String Tangle, has completely blown up since finding regular airplay on triple j, and it’s obvious why this is the case. Harley built upon the night’s running theme of smooth synth-pop in a major way, hiding behind a plethora of production gear from keyboards, samplers, vocoders and an impressive lighting rig, The Kite String Tangle weaved his way through a great mix of his discography that saw Harley constantly whip around his production area, making use of every last tech element at his disposal.

Off-beat rhythms carried the dreamy reverberant-led drones that set a very romantic tone for the conclusion of the evening and a couple made sure not to waste it – love was in the air. Harley’s set was perfectly constructed and included his triple j Like A Version cover of Flight Facilities’ Clair De Lune and his two major singles, Arcadia and Given The Chance, the latter ending a great night for Australian music.