Salon Kingsadore Live @ Bar Bodega 14/10/2006

I once thought the best way to imagine being on holiday on a cold, windy night was to drink home made lemonade with an umbrella in it and watch saved by the bell re runs. How wrong I was. Wellington was to host yet another cold and windy night, but Bar Bodega seemed to be in a season of its own. Salon Kingsadore had arrived, and along with them they had brought summer and some brilliant lazy Sunday music.

After watching the last few songs from SPA, it didn’t take long for Salon Kingsadore to take to the stage. For an instrumental band keeping things varied and diverse can be a difficult task, but Salon Kingsadore seemed to hit diversity on the head, and for the entirety of their set I was generally enthused. A variety of technical solos from the guitarist and the keyboardist were especially intriguing, and the musicianship of the band as a whole was very tight. Although the mood for all the songs was similar, each song had its own individual sound. They had a mellow and relaxing sound at times, but the keyboardists offered some intense lines which were complimented by some fancy guitar work to create an ambience that lifted the atmosphere of Bodega into another season.

‘Economy and Space’ was definitely the highlight of the evening for me. The in your face keyboards and technical guitar work made for an effective mid set revival. All the band members contributed perfectly to create an upbeat jazz style tune which is composed beautifully.

Along with their fantastic musicianship, the set wasn’t too long either. I think they finished on a really good note, and didn’t push the audience too far in terms of their attention.

Coming back quickly to an encore demanding audience, Salon Kingsadore finished off with ‘Ski Jump’ to ensure they really went out with a bang.

Even with the lack of words, Salon Kingsadore was one of the most intriguing and musically talented bands I have seen in quite a while. Their ability to create intense and melodic tunes at the same time is well worth watching, and their live performance does more justice to them than their CD ever could.

Craig Johnson