“We came out floating”, “Beautiful, hypnotic, blissful”, these were typical comments as misty eyed revellers left Heeley Institute after a truly memorable night in the company of rising stars This Is The Kit in December. No that they were alone. As well as a sell out crowd, the appetite was whetted by fantastic sets by Lindsay Callawa and Rita Payne. What a privilege to hear such beautiful voices one after the other! The silky smoky tones of Lindsay Callaway kicked off the evening and were followed up by the bright dynamic Appalachian influenced harmonies and snappy, fizzing performances of duo Rita Payne playing songs from their debut album, “Songs From the Suitcase”. However, even the fabulous supporting artists would have been the first to recognise that the highlight of the evening was a spellbinding, mesmerising set from Paris based This Is The Kit. This is a band finding their feet and growing in confidence all the time having featured in several sessions on radio 6Music and increasingly recieving invites to perform at the like of All Tomorrows Parties. Seeing them weave a shimmering spell under the sweet, clear voice of Kate Stables helped to explain why they have fans such as Elbow’s Guy Garvey and Cerys Matthews. To see tem in such an intimate venue made for something very special. They didn’t put a foot wrong all night from the pulsing Earthquakes to the heartbreakingly beautiful Two Wooden Spoons. A lot of new friends were made between artists and audience and a real sense of community ran through it all.
