THE FIDDLER'S ELBOW, LONDON (23 MAY 2024)
Fresh from dazzling thousands of dancing Goths at Wave-Gotik-Treffen, KNIGHT$ brought their Hi-NRG act to London for an intimate show. Celebrating five years since the release of the debut KNIGHT$ album, Dollars & Cents, the crowd were treated to a play-through with bonus cover songs.
Hi-NRG and its Italo Disco relatives have fallen out of fashion since their peaks in the 1980s, which is a pity. The Pet Shop Boys, Trans-X, Divine, Lime, and Sabrina created evergreen party tracks around the 136 BPM sweet spot, but the style loved by aerobics instructors and visitors to Fire Island eventually made way for trance and techno. That’s progress, but the joy of octave basslines, synthesised hooks, and glorious pop vocals transcends the trend time-line.
James Knights’ ability to bring out the soul in his voice certainly adds to the appeal of a KNIGHT$ show. Throughout the night, there were moments of raw power that required checks to ensure that Martha Walsh or Evelyn Thomas hadn’t taken his place. Working the crowd into a tizzy with songs like “What’s Your Poison?” and “Alligator,” his affection for the genre was impressed into the show. The inclusion of the Pet Shop Boys’ “Heart” and Yazoo’s “Goodbye 70s” gave an appreciative nod to the giants of dance music from the days before “EDM” was something sold by Live Nation to frat boys.
The evening began with a rare live set from Steven Jones and Logan Sky. The duo were brought together through the intercession of Steve Strange, and their cinematic pop is inspired by his legacy. Their opening song, “Polaroids,” is a direct reference to the Visage front-man’s way of looking at the world. Things quickly moved darker with the danceable “Black B-Sides,” which called to mind early Psyche. “Rotating Angels” and “Lovers and Losers” reinforced the compelling darkwave touches they are capable of.
“Come Back Tonight” demonstrated why good songs matter more than cult followings of granny-aged groupies. Despite their lack of live practice, Jones and Sky are bounds ahead of many of the acts who insert themselves into tour programmes or fill out festival line-ups. They even write the songs they perform.
(Cover photo: KNIGHT$ by Chi Ming Lai/ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK)