Rainbow Kitten Surprise has been an elusive addition to my ever-growing list of bands I have to see live before I croak. Just two years ago, the band had announced that they’d be cancelling their North American tour after a stint of shows across Africa and Europe due to lead singer, Ela Melo, having a medical crisis and needing to seek intervention. Fans were left disappointed but understanding that, with a band that paints so many of their narratives with solely their own lived and authentic emotions, this comes with the turf, and they understood that time would be needed to heal those wounds.
There would be little to no communication until 2024 when the band began teasing new music, shortly followed by a statement that now-former bassist Charlie Holt was asked to leave the group due to the inability of them and Melo to find a path forward in working together. Fans were understandably left unsure of how to feel. Excited for new music? Sad to be ending the original lineup of the band? Concerned for the band’s interpersonal relations? News seemed… ”messy” as many social comments put it. What followed would be the band’s most unique-sounding album yet, Love Hate Music Box. Featuring more electric guitar, autotune, and synth than any project in the past, fans were left split, as much of the news in past years had done before. Soon after, RKS would announce their Thanks For Coming Tour. Many fans were ecstatic to, regardless of any news in the past, get to see a band that they loved and cared for performing once again. A band who had been openly fighting to get mentally strong enough to embark on a run of shows to give thanks to those who had stuck by them all these years, a message Melo would announce at the closing of tonight’s show.
First out on stage would be the opener of just two stops along the tour, Petey USA. I was unfamiliar with Petey beforehand, and my first impression was, “Man, there’s a lot of merch in here for an opener.” I mean, every couple of people had shirts on branded with his name across their chests. I was warmly surprised by the music that followed. Kicking it off with the title track of his just barely two-week-old album, The Yips, and flowing through the three tracks that follow on his album consecutively. His music is more vulnerable than I expected, with a general vibe of accepting yourself for who you are and not accepting love you don’t deserve. It was immediately apparent why he was opening for a band like RKS.
Noah Kahan is an easy comparison, not just for the small-town emotional boy with long brown hair, but for the very thoughtful song lyrics that make you forget to listen to the music, and what beautiful music oozing with an indie authenticity that is lost along the now exploded genre. With Petey, I believe him and his music. His yells are filled with emotion on stage, and as he performs, I watch him get more and more comfortable in his skin as his fans have felt him teach through music. It is a wonderful mix of acoustic folk indie, yet these punctuated cadences and 80’s synth drags that comb it all over to feel like a Bowling for Soup song at times within tracks like The Milkman, which I think may be my favorite. The highlight of his performance was his most popular song Don’t Tell The Boys, but I’m telling you, he’s an undiscovered gem that I’m grateful for getting to see while he’s still opening for shows.
Following would be the night’s headliners, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, eagerly awaited by a packed to the brim sold out house. Under the dipping sun of the Stone Pony Summer Stage, with salt carried in the air swept off the ocean just across the street from the stage, they’d emerge to screams of a crowd only hushed as Ela Melo holds a mic to her lips. With an inhale that acts as a conductor's baton, the group begins the harmonious calls of "Cocaine Jesus." I can still feel the goosebumps prickling down my skin, a ripple effect from my ears which were lucky enough to hear the sound first. Immediately, with the breath of a note, screams let out quickly molding into a choir of lyrics being sung back to the band. Driven by the rhythm of drummer Jess Haney, the sound washed over the crowd, never missing a word. Their harmonies are one of their most identifiable traits in their music, and they’re so much more felt in person. The group sounds exactly like what they put on their records, but in person, the barrier that separates artist from listener is dissolved, and you feel it all so much more. RKS themselves have acknowledged that their fan base has leaned on their music for emotional support in a way more vulnerable than many other artists, and maybe it's the live performance, or the understanding that everyone in the venue has at some point sat crying, only held by their music, but there was a weight to the night. "Holy War" would continue to deliver a medley of harmonies and circling background vocals that blend, creating a hauntingly pretty rendition of the track. The barrage of sound is just pulling the crowd closer to the stage.
After "Our Song" and as "Goodnight Chicago" began to ring out, I was escorted out of the photo pit and the venue to re-enter in the front to avoid the crowd that was clogging the venue. As I was strutting the sidewalk singing along to a song I knew was written for me, I looked up to something truly special. Packed in every crevice, the roof and open trunk of every car, every balcony of every bar, hotel, and shop, every tall rock on the sandy dunes, and every open slat of boardwalk stood stationary people singing and dancing to the six-piece band on stage. People who couldn’t get tickets in time but refused to miss the performance flocked to the outskirts of the chained fences that gated in the band but not the music, emotion, or experience. Here is where their music overflowed and carried even further through Asbury Park.
RKS were amazing performers. First of all, it was two hours straight of nonstop music. There were a couple of times Melo would address the crowd, but it was mostly a flowing through their monster setlist, delivering fans a show that was well worth waiting for, as well as being very balanced across album releases. Their chemistry was great as they continuously rubber banded next to each other over the stage, feeding off their energy as well as the crowd’s. Worth mentioning, whenever security needed to get through the crowd, Melo would stop the music and instruct crowd members to part and let them through. Then, with just a tapping of drumsticks, the whole band would pick up exactly where they left off without a note dropped. Safety is easy with a band that cares for its fans.
I also always respect when a band switches their setlist every night, creating a unique experience with each new city and requiring that each band member be on top of their game and laser-focused. RKS does this, and I couldn’t have asked to be treated any better. With well-known hits such as "Painkillers" and "Devil Like Me," to less listened to tracks like "Shameful Company" and "SVO." The band would even treat us to a performance of "Dang," their newest release, which had just over a week to its life, and yet they still were met with a wall of fans singing back their words. With a ripping guitar lick to start off and kick us into the chorus, Ethan Goodpaster shines here and brings energy to the track that would be missed without him. Throughout the night, Darrick ‘Bozzy’ Keller would also take the mic for verses at a time, and his voice is just as the rest of the sound, beautiful. The way he bellows his heart just draws attention anytime it gets the chance to seek it. His harmonies are one thing, but when he’d take one of Melo’s verses that typically belong to her on the track, I would always find myself wishing there were an alternate album release where the two of them could hop onto the tracks to duet more of them. I’d love to hear the idea explored more in future albums, as he has the chops for it. Touring bassist, Maddie Bouton, was also fantastic, and I admired her comfortable, confident stage presence that made it seem like she had always filled such a spot in the band’s lineup.
The band would wrap up the night with the most dynamic lighting and hyped rock piece, "Run." With an introduction of each of the band members, Melo would yell into the mic, and the stage would send beams of light careening down the beach and up into the night sky, shining back down off of metal guitars and scaffolding. Throughout the night, the band’s lights were gorgeous, but they really took off any safety breaks they had to put on for this last showcase. Goodpaster also rips the hell out of his guitar solo that just had the place erupting in cheers as his fingers ran up and down his strings.
After the night’s conclusion, Melo would come out on stage alongside the clacking of piano keys from pianist and musical director, Drew Long. Dawning a sparkly silver shaul that glimmered in her hanging spotlights, against the now black sky we’d watch darken behind her, she’d begin the moving ballad of Polite Company. The echo of her mic bleeding an acoustic, soulful pleading through the crowd that hung onto her words. Slowly, the band would join her on stage, but that image and sound of her sitting against the stage’s steps outlined by a gentle stroke of light, seemingly alone in her room, felt more voyeuristic than it did concert. It was a beautiful moment to witness and felt deeply personal. They’d continue through "Thanks for Coming" and close the night out with their biggest hit, "It’s Called: Freefall." If there was one song to sum up RKS, it’d be this. The stunning harmonies, bardic lyrics, and musical breakdown are just a masterclass in music, and seeing it live only solidified the incredibly sacred spot it holds in mine and so many other fans' hearts. RKS is truly a blessing of a band to have experienced live.
In a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), a user named sulrence asked RKS what their favorite songs were to perform live to which Melo responded, “Ethan's is Run. Jess loves Shameful Company. I think Bozzy likes First Class…The song I feel the most in sync with the band is Workout, it's a song that helps us let go,” and I just think it’s extremely special to have seen each of those songs played throughout the night. Each member getting to shine in their favorite songs. With the band’s past the way it is, it doesn’t feel like a negative to see them where they are now, in fact the whole time, I just felt incredibly grateful for this group of people that has been struggling in front of so many people for so long just to make music to help people doing the same things in their private lives. Their lyrics read more akin to poetry than to radio, and because of it, there is such deep and complicated emotion between the band and their fans. Everything is felt much more deeply because, in many ways, they’re a part of so many people’s grieving processes while still trying to get through their own. When you’re in the crowd, the only thing that matters is the music washing over you, making you feel seen and held and not alone. I was so impressed with them and continue to be as I follow the ever-growing and evolving band that hilariously calls themselves Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Here’s to new music and healthier futures for those listening and those writing.
Setlist (as written by the band) // Cocaine Jesus // Holy War // Our Song // Goodnight Chicago // King // Meticulous // Matchbox // Espionage // Drop Stop Roll // When It Lands // SVO // Hide // Dang // Devil Like Me // Painkillers // Tropics // Cold Love // First Class // Sailboat // Shameful Company // Workout // 100 Summers // Wasted // Run // Polite Company // Thanks for Coming // Freefall
