The last time The Kin rocked the Iron Horse in Northampton, they were the opening act for local band Darlingside.
But tonight, The Kin will headline the venue.
Accompanying the band will be Find Vienna, a quartet band which has released two studio albums. The Kin begin at 10 p.m.
The Kin is composed of two brothers from Australia, Thorald and Issac Koren, along with drummer Shakerleg, who gained prominence playing drums in New York City subways. Not only do the brothers write their own music, but they also play a variety of instruments.
Thorald and Issac are much more orthodox than Shakerleg. They complement each other well with their singing, and the light guitar strums make for a very pleasing, yet crisp sound.
The two really know how to play to their strengths, and make sure to play at least one acoustic song offstage amongst their fans for a more personalized feel.
It is difficult to categorize The Kin under one specific genre, but this helps their cause. With folksy guitar riffs and lyrics that are sung in a way that sometimes sound like they’re from a pop song and sometimes like they’re from a grunge song, you would not want to limit the horizons of this band by labeling it with a specific genre.
According to the Iron Horse, the band’s sound could be described as a mixture between “Nick Drake and Bjork.”
According to their MySpace profile, The Kin has two studio albums, “Southern Empire” and “Rise and Fall” along with a live album and a long play, “War Amungst The Families.”
Some must-hear songs for people who have not heard of The Kin and want to get an idea of their performance style are “Photographs” and “New Day,” both available on Vevo. These are all-around hits even though they are live recordings featuring guest string players.
Their most popular songs on the other hand, are “Together” and “Nowhere to Now Here,” both from the “Rise and Fall” album. These are upbeat and have a more mainstream guitar sound.
For lovers of genre bending music and intimate performances, the Iron Horse at Northampton is the place to be Friday night.
Ayush Kumar can be reached at [email protected].
