MUSIC PREMIERES
For a music fan, there really is no greater cachet than being able to say: “I knew them before they blew up”. It’s the thrumming feeling that permeates every sweaty, cramped gig venue when an audience can see, in real-time, that they’ll never get to see this artist in a space this small again.
That’s the vibe at indigo at The O2, the small 2,000-capacity room sitting literally in the shadow of London’s most coveted arena space. It’s here that NME Cover stars KISS OF LIFE – made up of Julie, Natty, Belle and Haneul – proclaim that, whatever happens next, we are the “OG KISSYs” (the name given to their fandom). Everyone in the room knows the venue’s intimate proximity is about to become a real bragging right.
Despite a shaky start – the quartet hit the stage 30 minutes late – all is forgotten when the quartet pull out their black sunglasses and get in formation for their viral hit ‘Igloo’’s now-iconic TikTok challenge choreography. Screams erupt so loud you can barely hear the song’s low-key soundscape, which can be expected for a tour that’s light on production value.
Though K-pop is known for its visual overstimulation, KISS OF LIFE’s first world tour is a stripped-back affair with only a black stage and a couple of side-of-stage screens for decoration. There are a few teething problems as a result, like a moment where the group go off stage for a costume change, leaving an awkward, silent intermission. But that bareness also allows their vocals and performance to shine, and they have both of them in spades.
They’re as comfortable twerking to songs (‘My 808’) as they are sitting with handheld mics for ballads (‘Nothing’). The moment where they sing an as-yet-unreleased song called ‘Wine House’, a ’90s-infused R&B track reminiscent of groups like En Vogue and TLC, is a standout because there’s a palpable sense of confidence that’s usually inhibited by being so exposed on stage.
Sexy is a term that hangs around KISS OF LIFE like a mist. It’s infused in their song choices and choreo. “That song is so sexy, right?” Julie purrs after they sing the scintillating ‘Chemistry’ to whoops and hollers. But if there is any knee-jerk concern that comes with seeing four women focus on sexuality in their performance, especially in an industry where questionable ethics around young female idols feels front and centre for so many, the foursome make sure to let fans know they’re in on the bit.
They hone in on that tongue-in-cheek vibe for ‘Te Quiero’, where the group bring one fan from the crowd on stage for the most up-close and personal show of their lives. The quartet dance as a unit but then also give solos, with some members climbing over the fan like a sexy striptease. Seeing them take hold of their sexuality and funnel it to one person rather than a mass feels like an allegory for autonomy – they’re the ones holding it and they get to decide what they do with it.
As they say their goodbyes, the room vibrates to the point that the camera beaming their image onto the screens at the side of the stage can’t focus and becomes a fuzzy mess. Though the concert hits the beats any seasoned K-pop fan would expect, KISS OF LIFE pull off something unplannable: they leave you wanting more. Thankfully, it seems like they want to keep giving us more, too.
‘Bad News’
‘Igloo’
‘Get Loud’
‘Wine House’
‘Chemistry’
‘TTG’
‘Nobody Knows’
‘Gentleman’
‘Te Quiero’
‘My 808’
‘Nothing’
‘Sticky’
‘Midas Touch’
‘Shhh’
‘Bye My Neverland’
‘No One But Us’
‘Back To Me’
MUSIC PREMIERES
Four years on from the ‘Actual Life’ series lifting him into the mainstream spotlight, Fred Again.. continues to feel unavoidable. The London producer and DJ born Fred Gibson has moved at a relentless pace, bouncing between sold out stadium dates in New York and surprise appearances at Sheffield’s 1,000 capacity Forge, while also making history as the first electronic artist to top the bill at Reading and Leeds in 2024.
Where the ‘Actual Life’ releases and his fourth album, 2024’s ‘Ten Days’, leaned into warmth and joy pulled from ordinary moments, Gibson has also sharpened his instinct for high impact club weapons rooted in garage, dubstep and jungle. That side of his output lives on ‘USB’, an “infinite album” first imagined in 2022 as a home for tracks that exist outside any fixed universe, including defining moments like ‘Rumble’ and ‘Jungle’.
‘USB002’, the second vinyl only chapter of the ‘USB’ project, brings together 16 recent tracks, many of which surfaced gradually on streaming services over a ten week stretch. The music was shaped live, in step with ten unannounced DJ appearances across the world from Dublin to Mexico City. Even with a Glastonbury style registration system in place, The Times reported that 100,000 people tried to secure tickets for the opening night in Glasgow.
Appropriately, ‘USB002’ feels alive and constantly in motion, helped along by contributions from close collaborators such as Floating Points and Sammy Virji. The rigid, techno driven pressure of ‘Ambery’ echoes elements of Floating Points’ 2019 album ‘Crush’, while Gibson’s take on ‘The Floor’ builds like the slow climb of a rollercoaster before dropping back to earth without warning.
The guest list stretches beyond the usual dance circles, with two Australian guitar bands popping up in unexpected ways. ‘You’re A Star’ reworks Amyl and The Sniffers’ ‘Big Dreams’ into a breakbeat driven rush, while ‘Hardstyle 2’ pulls the experimental post punk edge of Shady Nasty into an Underworld adjacent space alongside Kettama. Gibson’s real trick is his ability to connect with anyone. These tracks are not reinterpretations but full takeovers.
The visual world wrapped around the ‘USB002’ rollout reinforces the instinct behind the music. Phones were prohibited at shows staged in vast warehouse spaces under sweeping light rigs, while Gibson’s team shared striking black and white footage and created artwork for each single on site. Bottling that sense of urgency, the project is rooted in the thrill of the present moment, something Gibson seems able to summon simply by turning up.
If the ‘Actual Life’ series and ‘Ten Days’ captured passing snapshots of experience, ‘USB’ is defined by constant movement, a space where boundaries are removed entirely. Sitting somewhere between an album and a playlist, ‘USB002’ underlines why Fred Again.. feels so dominant right now, and suggests that his current run may only be the beginning of something much bigger.
