Liverpool lads, The Kairos, blew the roof off Hangar 34 on Saturday night and if it’s anything to go by, they are destined for even greater heights.
After some very impressive support slots from District Social Club and Woo, it was time for the main event. The pre-gig playlist certainly had the crowd on its side with nostalgic anthems such as Two Door Cinema Club’s What You Know followed by the rampant Misirlou by Dick Dale, both tunes acting as an early indicator of what was to come.
The room descends into darkness and the usual pre-gig excitement comes to a climax as the voice of Robin Williams shouts ‘GOOD MORNING VIETNAM’, which transitions into the energetic Shoot To Thrill by AC/DC. ‘No Kairo No Party’ appears on the screen in huge letters and the lads walk out to a sold-out show, getting the hero’s welcome they deserved.
The opening riff of Thick Of It kicks in and the tone is set early. Having the crowd in the palm of their hand from the very beginning, they moved on to their first-ever single Money Mind which is where we saw the first mosh pit of the night. Reminiscent of an early Arctic Monkeys track, it was the perfect song to get the crowd moving. They retained momentum with the title track of their brand new EP Better Late Than Never; a fitting choice as it was their first Liverpool headline gig in a year.
A modest Tom Dempsey exclaims, “Let’s get this one out the way early” and plays lesser-known B-side Fascist Funny Man which to his surprise, got a brilliant reaction. Meanwhile, fan favourite, Lazy Lethargic ignited the crowd, sending them into a wild frenzy.
Following up was the bold choice of playing 3 unreleased songs in a row which was met with an amazing response. To someone who wasn’t familiar with their discography, they would have thought the songs had been out for months. Not many bands can say that they have had mosh pits for an unreleased song but The Kairos can, with their Foals-esque track Suspend which took Hangar 34 by storm.
The crowd hears the dreaded ‘we’ve only got a few songs left” before they’re presented with the familiar Round The Bend which had numerous fans ascending onto shoulders. The stomping track ended with a surprise, however, with the band transitioning into Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir as an outro, perfecting the tone and groove of the original classic.
The moment of the night goes to standout EP track, Trip Through The Night when the band played alongside a string section that only elevated the emotion of the performance felt by everyone in the crowd.
Finishing off with their most well-known song Teetotal was a more than fitting end, topping off an impressive performance while being in front of a much bigger crowd. At the time, it felt like the lads had been waiting for this moment their whole life. The Kairos’ explosive energy and raw talent shattered all expectations, hinting at a future that shines brightly ahead.
Words by Cian McGivern
Photos by LuellaPix & Jordan Thomas