TORONTO, ONTARIO- Kate Stables, who is better known by her stage name “This is the Kit”, brought a light and airy feel to the underground concert portion of the Drake Hotel on May 20th, 2018. Stables’ music has its roots firmly rooted in Celtic melodies as well as traditional folk. It’s this melodic approach that makes this British singer-songwriter is so unique.
Making the listener feel as though they are soaring high over a long stretch of fertile land, especially with the track “By My Demon Eyes (First Go)”, Stables’ set was truly one of the first ones I have seen that was able to capture my mindset without the help of on-stage visualizations.
Playing to a humble crowd late Sunday night, the audience also seemed to be entranced by this folk artist. Her music and her presence seemed to pour out an almost tangible warm glow. Although it seemed to be a case of “quality over quantity” in terms of the crowd’s size this evening, it baffled me as to why this venue was not packed to the brim with more people. Stables’ hour set was something of sheer beauty and truly deserved an audience fit for a king.
Performing in support of her recently released studio album Moonshine Freeze, Stables seems to be finally gaining the mainstream recognition I feel that she, and her music, deserves. Using an eclectic mix of synths, horns, chimes and a number of various other instruments, Stables is able to enhance and modulate her trademark folk sound into a type of sonic that I have previously never heard. Her most recent endeavor is truly one of the most unique and adventurous to date.
With a setlist comprising mainly of tracks off of Moonshine Freeze, I really enjoyed how Stables’ and her backing band were able to take her folk formula and add interesting electric tones and beats. With a song that shares the same name as her most recent LP, “Moonshine Freeze” was by far her most killer song she played live. Closing out the night with a sweet bass-line following a soft, funky drum beat and some jazzy horns, Stables had the ground floor grooving along to this last piece of her performance. The Drake Hotel is notorious for hosting some of the best and most talented musical acts that tragically fly under the radar of many. Speaking as someone who has seen plenty of shows of all sizes, This is the Kit’s Sunday night show was one of my favorites, and I’m hoping that Stable’s isn’t flying under the radar for too much longer.
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