REVIEW: Rainbow Kitten Surprise, CAAMP @ Royale 04/14
In celebration of their long awaited third studio album How to: Friend, Love and Freefall, Rainbow Kitten Surprise made a quick stop at the Royale in Boston in the midst of the spring leg of their Friend, Love, and Freefall tour. The tour sold out quickly and resale tickets for many of the dates were nearly three times face value. The venues the band headlined during this tour were twice the size of the places they had previously played during their 2016 winter tour.
The show started off with Ohio based folk band CAAMP. With a similar sound and look to Rainbow Kitten Surprise, it was no shock that a majority of the audience already knew the lyrics to their songs. The band seemed to win over anyone who did not already know them by the end of the first song; everyone in the room including the band was having a great time.
The audience geared up for the night’s main act while a quick set change occured. Overhearing everyone’s conversations about their excitement and expectations for the show made me even more excited than I was to begin with, since this would be my first time seeing them. Hailing from Boone, North Carolina, the five-piece folk rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise consists of vocalist Sam Melo, guitarists Ethan Goodpaster and Darrick Keller, bassist Charlie Holt, and drummer Jess Haney. The band performs a different setlist every night of the tour so no one knew ahead of time what was in store for the night. The setlist they decided on did not disappoint, as they included crowd favorites “Devil Like Me” and “Cocaine Jesus” along with plenty of songs off the new record.
As the band stepped on stage, cheers were heard throughout the venue. The band walked to their spots and prepared their respective instruments. From the first note of the first song, the crowd was mesmerized by the energy Rainbow Kitten Surprise used to make their shows memorable. Melo tirelessly ran around the stage during the concert and performed a death drop. Everyone screamed in shock every time, and he fed off the energy causing him to do a series of them throughout the night. Holt was impossible to photograph as he refused to stand still while playing the bass. He never settled down and his smile never disappeared.
As the band played their final song, “Run,” the crowd sang along to every word and Melo did his final death drop of the night. Everyone in the room was smiling and cheering and the band thanked everyone for their support. They put on one of the most entertaining and high energy sets I have seen so far. Catch the band perform one of their amazing shows on their upcoming summer and fall U.S. tours.
-Katie Evans
