It’s never easy being the opener. You have to build the energy and excitement for the headliner – and you have to play your heart out even though people may not be familiar with your music. But Australian duo Kllo made it look easy. Comprised of Cousins Simon Lam and Chloe Kaul, Kllo is a group whose sound seems to be full of countering themes: their music is invigorating yet soothing, quiet yet flourishing. The duo snuck onto the stage without most of the crowd noticing, Chloe on vocals and synth with Simon taking on percussion, keys, and mixing. Their set started off in a quiet ethereal haze, bringing one half of the audience into their silky smooth expansive universe. The other half was left to their conversations, sadly missing the train to another world.
There has to be something down in the water in Australia. Every performer of the evening was from down under and they all seemed to exude an unparalleled confidence and joy for life. Chloe commented how magical it was to perform at the historic Fillmore, and she was right: walking up to the poster room, it must be humbling for an artist to play at a venue that has hosted some of the greatest acts in music from The Velvet Underground to The Grateful Dead, The Doors, and Pink Floyd. When Chloe put words to this sentiment, the audience seemed to realize how fortunate they were to be in a place so rich with history: they clicked into to really listen and respect the talent that had worked so hard to grace that stage.
Their passion for performance was apparent in the way they moved with their music; with the audience at full attention Kllo was able to work their magic and weave through their most popular songs including Walls to Build, Bolide, and False Calls. Rufus Du Sol took the stage next, commenting that on their last visit to the US they were touring with Odesza and expressing his confidence that Kllo and Yuma X (the first opener) were the future stars of Australian music. I have little doubts that this will be true, and I look forward to the next time Kllo transports a fully attentive audience into a world of airy vocals, body shaking bass lines, and infectious syncopated loops.
There has to be something down in the water in Australia. Every performer of the evening was from down under and they all seemed to exude an unparalleled confidence and joy for life. Chloe commented how magical it was to perform at the historic Fillmore, and she was right: walking up to the poster room, it must be humbling for an artist to play at a venue that has hosted some of the greatest acts in music from The Velvet Underground to The Grateful Dead, The Doors, and Pink Floyd. When Chloe put words to this sentiment, the audience seemed to realize how fortunate they were to be in a place so rich with history: they clicked into to really listen and respect the talent that had worked so hard to grace that stage.
Their passion for performance was apparent in the way they moved with their music; with the audience at full attention Kllo was able to work their magic and weave through their most popular songs including Walls to Build, Bolide, and False Calls. Rufus Du Sol took the stage next, commenting that on their last visit to the US they were touring with Odesza and expressing his confidence that Kllo and Yuma X (the first opener) were the future stars of Australian music. I have little doubts that this will be true, and I look forward to the next time Kllo transports a fully attentive audience into a world of airy vocals, body shaking bass lines, and infectious syncopated loops.
