More about: Kim Gordon

It is a Monday night, but there are no signs of quietude at Koko in Camden. Since its reopening in April the venue has hosted a string of top live shows featuring some of the most ground-breaking musical talent, and Kim Gordon’s gig is a prime example. Unable to tour her solo album, the electronically leaning ‘No Home Record’, due to the pandemic, she makes up for it tonight, as she kicks off her UK tour in true alt-rock style in North West London. 

Gordon’s pioneering, experimental approach has seen her influence musicians for generations over what is fast approaching four decades. As a founding member of Sonic Youth, she also remains a prolific music collaborator, who continues to churn out fresh ideas and inspired art projects, demonstrated through a range of works such as Body/Head, Glitterbust, Mirror/Dash, and Free Kitten. 

Accompanied by drummer Madi Vogt, guitarist Sarah Register, and bassist Camilla Charlesworth, Gordon is a in good company, and they have arrived to deliver a raw and tight, no nonsense set. While the addictive, recognisable, often hard-hitting rock dimension of her sound continues to be present, she carries on refining her craft, constantly innovating, experimenting with a range of modern genres, some of which are heard at Koko this evening. Though an inspired set, where sound and picture meld with ease, elements of punk, rock, trap, electronic, and industrial sounds emerge at a gradual, gripping pace, where any sense of predictability or convention cease to exist. 

Unsurprisingly, the visuals are as prominent and as important as the sound, acting as atmospheric projections in support of the songs. Linear video projections of roads, road signs, and landscapes are shown throughout the show, contributing to the build-up of a trance-like state of mind. While the immersive, hypnotic essence of Gordon’s sound can make it seem a bit harder to pinpoint highlights in more narrow terms, at least, the lengthy moments of substance and beauty are undeniable. 

Starting out with the complexity of ‘Sketch Artist’, she takes the crowd through the grungy blues feel of ‘Air BnB’, followed by the dark despair and guitar riffage of ‘Murdered Out’,  there is an aim to clearly outline a sonic feast of a treat that awaits the hungry guests, it appears. It definitely is a forum of fans and long-term devotees, a place where Sonic Youth tees are worn by many, in what no doubt is an international crowd. While the distinct, spoken-word style lyrics of ‘Get Yr Life Back’ provide fascinating insight, the track also transfers well to the live setting. 

The encore seems as if it is designed to cement the concept of explosivity in sound. Comprising the punky vibe and direct energy of ‘Hungry Baby’, ‘Blonde Red Head’(DNA cover), and ‘Grass Jeans’, a definitive, expansive moment is created during the final track, where the depth of Kim Gordon’s experimental rock is thoroughly explored, leaving no doubt about the absorbing beauty of her soundscapes as much as the complete and utter enormity of what we just witnessed.

See photo of the night by Adam Taylor below:

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More about: Kim Gordon