As Austin geared up for Levitation Fest, fans of all ages lined up at Mohawk on Wednesday, November 6th, to catch the band, Kero Kero Bonito.

Kero Kero Bonito (also known as KKB) consists of British musicians, Sarah Bonito (vocalist) and producers/multi-instrumentalists Gus Lobban & Jamie Bulled. The band met via an online advertisement that sought someone with a Japanese background (Lobban was highly interested in "Japanese rap"). Despite her lack of singing background, Bonito responded to the ad because she wanted to test out singing as well as pay tribute to her Japanese heritage. Since then, the band has released two albums, numerous EP’s, and pure cuteness in their Japanese-inspired jams.

By the time I got to the venue at 7:30, the sky was cloudless and dark. Mohawk was also already packed. I caught myself double-taking at an audience teeming with Gen Z attendees. They seemed eager to catch the British band and I questioned how such a young crowd even knew who KKB was. Their single, “Sick Beat” dominated the speakers at your local American Apparel (RIP 1989-2016) in 2014 and even then, I thought they were mega indie. It is safe to say, this band is now “poppin”.

The show promptly began with the opening act, the experimental-electronic-pop artist, Negative Gemini. Brooklyn-based Negative Gemini is the creation of singer/producer, Lindsey French. She wore a pink cowboy hat that matched her pink hair and the pink light hues on Mohawk’s stage. She swooned her hips as she picked her guitar and kicked off the show to her single, “You Never Knew”. The lyrics to the chorus stood out as French sang “...you only hate the ones you love/Let me get a hold of you”.

Who hurt this delicate treasure?

She performed her warm bops for thirty minutes before closing her show with her Grimes-like song, “Infin Path”. The kick-drums of the song not only mesh well with the background chants but stay true to her dream-pop aesthetic. French has unearthly vibes and she showed through this performance she is an underrated gem.

Once Negative Gemini finished their set, the crowd tightened up in anticipation for KKB. I lost my beautiful view of the stage as a group of boys cut through the crowd and posted themselves in front of me.

I’m 5’1”. I was annoyed. I knew I was going to have to cut them once the show started.

The lights dimmed and James Rowland, the band’s guitarist came out wearing Buc-ee's onesie pajamas. The crowd yelled in excitement at his Texas-only outfit. As the other band members filled the stage, you could feel the crowd anxiously waiting for lead singer, Sarah Bonito to join. When she walked on stage, the crowd chanted for her and her outfit (you guessed it, Buc-ee's merch). It is safe to say, the KKB band members had fun during their road trip pit stop.

Kero Kero kicked off the show with their 2019 single, “Battle Lines”. The audience at this point was already moshing. I did not know people moshed to electro-pop but thanks to the fracas, I made it to the front of the stage and my petite self got the view I needed to fully enjoy this show.

Bonito’s and Lobban’s witty, British humor translated as they transitioned between songs with little cute quotes that would correlate to their song’s meaning. Like for the song, “You Know How It Is”, Bonito jokingly told the audience that you know how it is and grinned away at her dry joke.

As our current social climate feels particularly delicate, KKB also made a point to validate the groups emotionality, encouraging the primarily young audience to stay positive and vote.. The band then transitioned to an acoustic performance of their 2018 single, “Sometimes”. The lyrics in the song go, “Sometimes, life is a drag/But get that chin up, don't be sad…” Naturally, the audience swung their hands back and forth to this number. An audience member swung back and forth a plush version of the Pokemon, Psych Duck, that caught Bonito’s attention. She couldn’t help but give the toy a shoutout. The audience proceeded to chant, “Psych Duck! Psych Duck!'' I never thought I would witness a crowd shouting for a Pokemon.

KKB danced together, made the audience dance and brought out props that included a plush dinosaur and flamingo. The plush flamingo made an appearance during their performance to their song, “Flamingo” and Bonito playfully put it on her head as she performed. You could tell this plush has been with the band for a while as it appeared worn out and kinda dirty. You knew it had seen many faces. With the way KBB is playing, it’s safe to say this little flamingo will live on to see many more shows.

Kero Kero Bonito

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