By Krystal Beasley //
K.Flay & Air Dubai, with Itch //
Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco
March 23, 2014 //
Sometimes magical things can happen on a Sunday night. March 23rd at Bottom of the Hill was proof of that. K.Flay and Air Dubai got on that stage and kept the entire crowd awake.
Co-headlining act Air Dubai are a six-piece hip hop group from Denver, Colorado that signed to Hopeless Records in 2012. I’m not quite sure why, but when a band has more than four members, I am skeptical. But after seeing Air Dubai I understand their appeal. This group has a lot of energy on stage. The musicians are talented, the lead singer has that smooth R&B voice, and they just look like they are having the best time on stage. The highlight for me was “Warning”, their 2012 single on the EP of the same name, which definitely got me dancing.
After a short lull between sets, the crowd roars as San Francisco-based K.Flay walks onto the stage. Her melodic rhyming and mesmerizing beats fill the venue. Suddenly, it’s not Sunday night anymore. All of the focus is on her. Early in the set, we hear her two most recent singles, collaboration with Danny Brown, “Hail Mary” and “Rawks”, both off of her latest EP What If It Is. And if those two tracks aren’t enough to make you want to delve further into her catalogue, check out the more mellow fan favorite, “The Cops”, which had the crowd singing and swaying.
K.Flay’s smart, stream-of-consciousness flow is what sets her apart. And there’s something so unique about indie-electro beats this Stanford grad creates, whether the production features a sample or not. And it translates well to the stage. She tours with drummer, Nick, and their chemistry is great. I don’t know how this union came about, but luckily it did, because the result is simply magical. And when you add the really trippy visuals playing in the background, you get a really great live show that is not to be missed. Another highlight of the night was the performance of “Sunburn”, a track you might recognize if you listen to Live 105. Of course there is some head-banging on every song, but “Sunburn” is especially made for this.
The encore was another great highlight. She performed “Doctor Don’t Know” and “Waiting”, both tracks from her 2011 mixtape titled I Stopped Caring in ‘96. It was great to hear her revisit some older material.
K.Flay is a solid performer; she puts it all out on that stage. She gets you pumped up and head banging the second she steps out on the stage. And on slower songs, you get lost in the moment without even realizing it. And when you come back to reality, she is thanking you for coming out to the show. K.Flay, whose first name is Kristine, was at the merch table talking to fans and taking pictures before and after her set. This is the sixth or seventh K.Flay show I’ve attended, and I will be at her next show in the bay area. I think that speaks to her talent better than anything I could write here.
Be sure to follow K.Flay on twitter if you need some weird in your life, and on soundcloud if you need some remixes in your life. You can see K.Flay along with Air Dubai and many more on the upcoming Vans Warped Tour. Check out the dates here. I will see you at the Shoreline show.
K.Flay is great. I’m chomping at the bit for her album.