KLLO
Melbourne based pop-electro duo ‘Kllo’ made their ‘conservative’ debut at the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall -at the Melbourne Recital Centre, last Friday. Since their debut in 2014 with the dark single ‘Make me Wonder’, the band has gained momentum at a strong and steady pace. Their tracks have received thousands of streams on Soundcloud, and they released
Kllo’s sleek sound has gained an international following: their music usually catering to hundreds of standing-up, dancing fans at big music festivals in Australia such as Splendour in the Grass or, in Europe, at the Great Escape. The more traditional venue of the Melbourne Recital Centre was quite a change of scenery for the band – Chloe, the lead singer stating: “This is the first time we have a played to a crowd that hasn’t been standing up!”
The venue, however, did not limit their musical and creative expression; they adapted their set list suitably and to a great effect. One of the band’s long-time followers, Anna Brady referred to their set as “an “an ethereal dreamscape” and said: “I really enjoyed it, I think they had a softer ‘Cascade’ vibe to them…”. Anna brought her boyfriend Hormuzd along for the ride, and, after seeing the band for the first time, he remarked: “I really wanted to stand up, they made me feel like moving.”
It seems that Kllo’s greatest strength as an ensemble, apart from their mysterious and effervescent sound, is their ability to connect to their audience and include them as an active part of the performance. Anna and Hormuzd both agreed that Kllo “brought everyone together through their honesty and transparency.”
This sincerity and frankness came across when the band made a mistake before Chloe was supposed to enter and instead of ‘saving face’, blaming her band members or stumbling uncomfortably; Chloe laughed gracefully and made a joke with the audience. The audience responded with a huge cheer at her courage to laugh at herself and have fun on stage even under the heated pressure of the spotlight. Chloe’s sense of humour in this situation radiated out to the audience and made for a more fun and playful performance.
The band’s honesty and transparency shows not only in their performance, but in their music. From Chloe’s humble beginnings in Bayside, Brighton East “the shit side”, she says. She formed Kllo with her cousin Simon without the safety net of a tertiary institution and says that their music just grew ‘organically’. This is an interesting point to note, as many musicians are told that an institution is the only way to ‘properly’ master your craft; yet Kllo proves that you do not need tertiary education to make meaningful music, or to connect with an audience and make them feel something.
Kllo’s performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre showcased their flexibility as performers and musicians; and solidified their ability to connect with audiences. It’s only onwards and upwards for this Melbourne duo – as they take the world by storm and continue on their accent to greatness.
