Live Review | wing! + Another Country $$$$ @ Cafe Kino, Bristol

---

---

Fresh off the release of his second EP, wing! takes over Cafe Kino for his first Bristol headline show, alongside Another Country $$$$

wing! is the project of Adam Swan, blending trip-hop, downtempo and jazz into a hypnotic cocktail. Following his debut EP ‘MISSED IT JUST THE ONCE,’ Adam has recently put out ‘(WORTH SCANNING FOR),’ his second EP, which sees him expand his sound and grow more confident. After their appearances at Sŵn Festival last year and Outer Town earlier this year, we’ve been excited for wing! to return to Bristol and Cafe Kino’s basement was the perfect venue to host them.

Up first were Manchester duo Another Country $$$$, an inspired choice for support. The duo’s sound combines DnB, dub, and even touches of hyperpop, all performed with live drums alongside the electronic production. What sets Another Country apart is their live energy, with the duo far more animated than other experimental peers. While I love a moody lack of emotions as much as the next guy, it’s refreshing to see a group have fun in this genre.

Their sound is even more interesting live than on record, with the live drums giving the performance so much momentum and character. The pure number of genres Another Country can make their way through in such a short amount of time makes for such an entertaining set. Part of me longs to see them in a venue with an opportunity for the duo to show off their visuals, but part of me is secretly quite happy to find them in a sweaty basement.

wing! are another act that must be seen live. Whilst their EPs have been an impressive representation of Swan’s talents, with a three-piece band, the tracks come to life, becoming looser, jazzier and hitting even harder. With Adam on production duty, wing!’s live show also includes Joe Killick on drums and Kai Charlton on bass.

With all good trip-hop, the most vital element is the ability to build an atmosphere and, despite the sell-out of Kino causing the venue to be sweltering, wing! succeeded in this with ease. Earlier tracks drifted over the audience like a warm breeze, while newer, more energetic cuts had the crowd entranced in a hypnotised bob.

While it is of course Adam Swan’s production at the vital centre of wing!’s sound, the effect of Killick’s drums should not be underestimated. Whether blissfully swinging through a jazzier track, precisely locking into a tighter groove or letting loose as a track reaches its climax, Killick is seriously impressive behind the kit. Not only does he perfectly match the often complex drum patterns of Swan’s production, he also brings his own character to each track, making even the most laid-back groove impossible to look away from.

Clearly buzzed to pull such an adoring crowd, wing! effortlessly made their way through their short discography. New EP ‘(WORTH SCANNING FOR)’ is both consistent in its sound but just varied enough and the trio live is similar: always maintaining their dreamy atmosphere, while still giving us enough variety to avoid becoming monotonous, a real risk for this downtempo style.

Seeing wing! in Bristol has solidified them as one of our most anticipated new projects and hopefully, as Boards Of Canada‘s huge return this year has proven, there’s an appetite for this genre of music, if shaken up just enough to remain interesting. Luckily, wing! have hit this balance exactly right.