Kim Gordon is an icon, no doubt about it. One of the few women in the alt-rock sphere, when there were hardly any, she has inspired a litany of young girls and women, myself included, to take up instruments and be in bands as if it was perfectly natural.
She calmly walked onstage and greeted the crowd with:
I played here 26 years ago. I’m still here.
to rapturous applause. All through the set there were several interjections from an enthusiastic crowd intent on showing their love for her.
The twenty song set was heavily based on her recently released third solo album Play Me produced by Justin Raisen, where Ms Gordon carries on her foray into soundtracking urban dystopia and global disenfranchisement to a background of trap beats, menacing synths and distorted open guitar tunings.
Album and set-opener ‘Play Me’, was a sardonic crack at Spotify playlist names weaponised into a sharp critique of convenience culture, which hit even harder live over its chill-out jazz musical backing.
Highlights included ‘Dirty Tech’ which was all sleazy synth and cool menace, the kind of song where you could imagine Elon Musk writing a love letter to himself over looped electronic beats and lyrics such as:
I like it when you talk dirty tech to me
The experimental set included gems such as ‘Not Today’, a moment of vulnerability set to a wall of sound and driving drums and ‘Busy Bee’ a co-penned Dave Grohl song which blended samples of old MTV interviews with metallic guitars.
She delved further into her solo work with The Collective‘s wonderful satirical ode to toxic masculinity ‘I’m a Man’, still as relevant ever.
Throughout the set she was supported by her wonderful multi-instrumentalist band, shifting between instruments just as easily as Kim effortlessly strode around the stage or played visceral bass solos, including a sweet moment of interaction during ‘Psychedelic Orgasm’.
The set ended with the unreleased ‘Cigarette’ and one of my favourites ‘Cookie Butter’, from her first solo album No Home Record, a stream of consciousness based on minimalistic two-word phrase, underpinned with distorted bass.
A special mention must go to the constant ever-changing backdrop of images, including a running theme of objects snaking around the screen, including tyres, ropes, chains and even Kim herself, reminding us that Kim is an artistic visionary beyond music.
I could wax lyrical about Kim Gordon’s decades in music and how much she has shaped music and particularly the art-rock sphere, and just how influential her body of work is, but Kim doesn’t dwell on it and she keeps pushing forward and breaking ever-new boundaries, inspiring us in newer ways each time and showing us what’s possible.
Kim – Generations of LOUD WOMEN still salute you.
Opener Lonnie Gunn was just excited to be supporting Kim Gordon as we were to see her and warmly thanked us for coming in early to watch them.
The London-based American singer-songwriter was joined onstage with her four piece band as they melodically blasted their way through a seven song alt-pop-rock set blended with grungy overtones.
Highlights included the viral stadium worthy ‘Dog in a Hot car’ and riotous new single ‘Good Girls Go To Heaven’.
They closed out their set with the stomp worthy Ex GF, full of fiery feedback and warmed us up beautifully for Ms Gordon.