The Thekla, 7th December 2021
KAWALA chat with @cam.mulberry pre their takeover of Thekla Bristol last week
Cam “I had the absolute privilege of interviewing KAWALA before their sellout gig at Thekla, have a read below for a snippet of our chat”.
Cam “So I read your press release for your new album, what makes this new album from your previous releases”
Daniel “Id say it’s a step up, I know it seems obvious to say but I feel like our writing has improved…the one solitary silver lining is that we had a natural foot off the gas for a moment to say what do we actually want to do with this, how can we shape where we are going. Our writing has become a little bit more vulnerable and we’re able to talk from a point of view we’ve never been able to do before.”
Jim “It’s interesting because we had an album (written) before lockdown , 70% of which changed over lockdown because we were writing better and better music”. We went away and our writing improved massively.”
Cam “I’ve always been really interested in how bands survive on tour, looking back at your first tour compared to now, how do you find being on tour with each other?”
Jim “Luckily we have our little arguments and that, but we’re all mates and we all get on, if there’s any arguments it doesn’t last long”
Daniel “It’s all brotherly love, our touring crew and us…. it’s very family based, it’s a real unit of comradery (but) I love touring. Our guitarist whistles all the time, and there’s time when he’s whistling, he’s loveable but he will not stop making noises. I had this moment yesterday in fact where we were playing cardiff and everyone went for food, I was having a little chill on the sofa…he comes through the door clapping and whistling..but it’s part of the fun”.
Kawala’s debut album “Better With You” is out March 4th everywhere!!!
Review
Shiver me timbers it’s time to get onboard Thekla again, last time I was here I saw the excellent JOHN with Hypothetics and today’s lineup is definitely a up there!
First up we had Master Peace, who I’ve reliably been told has a massive following for his fusion of rap come surf come punk music. The sound of Master Peace I’d describe as being very similar to some of Gorillaz latest offerings on The Now mixed with The Kid LAROI. solid instrumentals with catchy singalong lyrics, the sort of soundtrack to driving with the roof down along sunset boulevard, very feel good music.
KAWALA and I go back a long way, back in my DJ days I would end every set with “Do it like You Do” which is like an intravenous dose of nostalgia for an experience you never had. The set was spectacular, with Thekla’s dark corners lit by all the colours of the rainbow, and the duelling vocals of Jim and Daniel echoing through the venue with a mix of both old classics and new music.
If there’s one thing KAWALA knows how to do, it’s write an absolute bop and the crowd knew it. Punctuating the set was an eclectic mix of dancing and singing from the adoring super fans down the front.
KAWALA is the theme to long summer nights that never seem to end, the sort where you sit after a festival and soak up the day whilst the sun gently slips below the horizon. They certainly made this cold winter night a whole lot warmer for me.
@cam.mulberry
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