Feb 27, 2023

Kimbra Brings A Reckoning To Kansas City!

Story and Photos: Haley Mullenix

Nestled snugly on the strip of Grand Boulevard, is the 300 capacity venue Record Bar. With a tour bus parked out front and fans lined up at the door, Sunday night (2/26) was the place to be! New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra was in town to share her latest release. If you aren’t familiar with Kimbra’s music you’ll definitely recognize her from her feature on the 2011 Gotye song, “Somebody That I Used to Know” for which she earned two Grammy Awards!

Released just last month A Reckoning is the greatly anticipated fourth studio album from Kimbra. This new release is a collective story telling of her past few year's experiences with things such as the pandemic, relationships, and her label.

Joining Kimbra to begin the show and story was Tei Shi. The Buenos Aires-born singer and songwriter brought a dreamy, synth-pop presence to the stage. The space around her felt like a holographic bubble as she floated around dreamily, hitting high notes and dancing to beats she played off of her Akai MPK Mini. Tei Shi has a new song “¿QUIÉN TE MANDA?” out now, and stay tuned for her EP, Bad Premonition which she’ll be releasing as an independent artist!

As time came for Kimbra to take the stage, she stood firmly between two pillars wrapped in vines, as the lights danced around her and she looked into the crowd. Throughout the set she made a point to connect with the audience, moving from one side to the other looking into their eyes as she spoke about her music and the story it tells. “We’re going to some dark places, come with me…don’t let me go there alone!”

The overall energy that Kimbra creates for her show is a space to share, come together, and learn through shared experiences. A couple crowd members even spoke of their own. Kimbra shared the story of a new song called, “Foolish Thinking” which is a letter to a future daughter she hopes to have one day. A practice of writing she picked up to help herself process lessons she's learned in life, she hopes to pass down the knowledge. “A hand to hold for every chapter”.

Kimbra threw it back with the single, “Settle Down” from her debut album Vows, erupting a chorus of applause from the crowd. Moving into the last song before the encore, “I Don’t Want to Fight” which is also the last song off her new record, she described it as, “the final prayer”. As the rest of the album is moving and flowing through her experiences, the last song to her is, “a release…a time to change direction”.

Thanking the crowd with a final send off she announced, “I value you…I value this space”. It is apparent in Kimbra's writing that she is an avid storyteller and has an incredible ability to continue that when she brings her songs to a stage. She becomes a narrator to a play of life with the way she connects, and it was an uplifting show to witness!

There are more stops ahead on the North American leg of The Reckoning Tour before Kimbra heads home to New Zealand for the Synthony Festival, so be sure to catch her while you can!

Check out the tour dates and galleries below.

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Kimbra