KALEO (pronounced Kuh-lay-ow after the Hawaiian phrase for ‘the sound’ or ‘the voice’) are back in the UK with their Payback Tour.
Taking to the stage at London’s Wembley Arena last night, the Icelandic blues rockers treated fans to live debuts of a couple of new singles.
Following his bandmates, frontman Jökull Júlíusson entered last wearing a cowboy hat and leopard skin shirt.
The Disney prince-lookalike opened the show with new track, USA Today, in which his distinctive raw vocals—not too dissimilar to Hozier—lament American shootings.
Gentle acoustic songs from the recently introduced Lonely Cowboy and Automobile to fan favourite All the Pretty Girls came early on and created an emotional atmosphere, as the singer encouraged fans to light up their phone torches.
But KALEO’s signature appeal has to be its soulful delta blues, with retro ZZ Top-esque tracks like Broken Bones.
Þorleifur Gaukur Davíðsson’s powerful electric harmonica only added to the old-timey Americana ringing through the arena as the night wore on.
A personal highlight for us had to be the heavier, fast-paced tracks with Led Zeppelin-inspired electric guitar solos.
From the furious lyrics of Skinny to the energetic beats of Hot Blood, Glass House to Rock N Roller and No Good, KALEO rocked the house down.
Additionally, of course, was the double platinum No 1 single Way Down We Go. This song, which famously featured on the soundtrack for the trailer of Hugh Jackman’s Logan, was extremely satisfying to hear live in all its haunting glory.
KALEO are performing in Manchester this evening before heading to Wolverhampton and Glasgow next week and tickets can be booked here.
