Jonny Craig + Kyle Lucas + Seafoal @ The Rainbow Courtyard, 30th August 2015
Seafoal is fantastic. It’s a fact. Cutting her teeth releasing covers on YouTube, two of which are performed tonight, Siana Sweeny has found herself in the scene from which she obviously draws influence but her sound bears no relevance. I mean correct me if I’m wrong, but I didn’t know Ghostfest accommodated acoustic acts. This may be aided by the fact that covers of both Bring Me The Horizon and Linkin Park are aired tonight, as well as tracks from her debut EP Lucid Living. Providing a very sweet and accessible start to the evening, Seafoal has done more than impress the audience tonight.
Next up is Kyle Lucas, a hip-hop artist from Georgia, with tonight being his first ever performance in the UK. Whilst not only sharing the same management as tonight’s headliner, Lucas has also collaborated with Jonny Craig on a number of occasions and also share a producer in the form of Captain Midnite. It’s evident from both of tonight’s sets that there is a strong creative bond between the two as well as a personal friendship, with Jonny Craig taking to the stage to introduce Lucas and also joining him to perform on the tracks ‘Worth It’ and the debut performance of ‘Veritas’. There are moments within Lucas’s set that don’t feel quite right for a drizzly Sunday evening in the back room of a pub, where American hip-hop perhaps doesn’t translate as well, but tracks such as P£RCØC£t T€N$ absolutely fly. There’s definitely potential for Kyle Lucas to make an impact over on these shores, it’s perhaps just down to him finding the right audience.
Jonny Craig can sometimes be known for his turbulent personal life rather than his vocal talents, which is something he is quick to address once taking to the stage this evening, stating that tonight is all about the songs. Having taken the time before the show to meet fans in the bar, word spreads around that he’s already had quite a few which doesn’t fill anyone with much confidence. But there’s no need to worry. Tonight Jonny gives an amazing performance of cuts from his solo ventures, steering clear of anything from his previous bands Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa and the current Slaves. His voice and overall performance are the overriding factors that make tonight memorable, with cuts such as I Still Feel Her Pt 3 and Children of Divorce allowing the crowd to witness Craig at his most vulnerable artistically. It’s throughout the performance tonight that you realise the reason for tonight’s choice of support acts, with Craig blending an acoustic voice driven approach with produced beats. A shout out should go to the drummer for the evening, who is the driver on the tour and learnt all the songs the night before. The only prima donna moment tonight comes during a performance of Rhythm In My Soul, of which Jonny Craig scraps the song due to no-one singing along. Kyle Lucas joins Jonny Craig for performances of We Black Hearts Bear The Cross, I Still Feel Her Pt 5 and The Party and the Dream, all of which could easily sit alongside the best of Craig’s back catalogue.
The vulnerability that Craig demonstrates both on and off stage this evening is something I wasn’t expecting, but aids the performance and his approachability a great deal. In terms of being one of the best vocal talents within the alternative scene, that stands true more than ever and one can only hope that his personal battles never get in the way of that.
Review: Dan Earl