Working Wireless Festival at Hyde Park last year saw us scattered to separate locations around the festival area. I had been setting up since 7am and the last thing I wanted to do was hear annoying demands from the herd-like punters. A mix up in the official festival program meant that it was not even clear who was playing on what stage and when until the afternoon. Who would be the poor bastards picked by the organisers to take the stage first at 11.30 on this chilly Thursday morning?
At 11.35 the first messages started darting around the site. I was receiving texts from people literally as I was sending the exact same message: “who are these guys? They’re fucking awesome!!!!”
By 11.40 we somehow all managed to drop whatever menial tasks we were undertaking and headed towards the front of the park to catch a glimpse of the mystery band. Due to the aforementioned early hour and the fact it was a workday there were only a few hundred people populating the mosh pit but the band on stage were seemingly unaffected effortlessly flowing from one epic melody to the next whilst channelling pure adrenaline into their exquisitely crafted songs. We still didn’t know who these guys were but we knew they had an ear for a hook.
After a proper easter egg hunt, some bribing, much arm twisting and a couple of wrestling manoeuvres we found out the band in question were Denmark’s own The Kissaway Trail touring in support of their debut album. We had caught them at just the right time, just a few months into an extensive tour they knew each song inside out but had still to experience any fatigue associated with long touring.
Though The Kissaway Trail‘s self titled album doesn’t always reach the dizzying heights shown that morning in Hyde Park there are still plenty of standout moments that are of immediate appeal. The band opted for a multi-layered approach and deliberately focussed production builds a wonderfully moody album. Next time you are at a festival give a thought to those “bastards” who will be playing to an empty field at 11.30 am. They may end up surprising you with an euphoric set peppered with saccharine melodies and dark themes.
The bands myspace page showcases the sublime 61 and the stand out track ‘Smother + Evil = Hurt’. Check these songs out as they are all great examples of what I describe above. For added sonic pleasure i recommend ‘Soul Assassins’ and the anthemic ‘La La Song’ which were both highlights at Wireless.
TRACKS:
The Kissaway Trail – La La Song
