Baiana seem to be Liverpool based but from the off its latin sounding rhythms, jazzy guitar outpourings, big yet smokey sounding vocals and plenty of musical diversity. There’s not a drop in interest as the bounce through their set with precision and musical dexterity that I’ve not seen in an age.
The jazziness is consistent, the variety of songs, faster, slower, upbeat, sad, keep it all fresh and its an enjoyable set to just sit back and listen to but then your toes start tapping and their infectiousness reaches out and to be honest they make the audience want to dance. Not so easy in the confines of the all seated Music Room. Very upbeat Brazilian vibes and superb groove from Baiana.
Kit Sebastian have a duo at their heart, that of Kit Martin who plays most of their recorded instruments and Merve Erdem who provides the lyrical and vocal side of things. Their polished sounding albums cover a lot of ground with a finesse that is lacking in most albums. Live its a bigger proposition, there’s a full band to contend with and its chock full with great musicians who are able to deliver the subtleties of the records and even add an extra gleam to the sound.
They are pop, there’s a big hint of trans European sounds and even middle Eastern music. They can have moments of introspective darkness that belongs in some basement club where smoke still obscures the artists and then incredibly shiny pop with tuneful melodies and moments of restrained power. Somewhere in between there’s a small hint of psych or even shoe gazing going on.
I came to this gig with no preconceptions, I’d not heard the band as it was a last minute ticket from a friend who couldn’t go. After seeing them here and letting their sheer quality wash over me, I’d see them again.
Words: Richie Yates, Photos: Richie Yates/Adrian Wharton
Links:
Kit Sebastian
Bandcamp: https://kitsebastian.bandcamp.com
Baiana
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Baianaband
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Baianaband