Concert Review: Kita – Neck of the Woods 6 June 2021

Nikita Tu-Bryant, with her back-combed bouffant, looks poised and triumphant as the trio called Kita take the stage. With the opening salvo from the drummer, a Ginger Baker-style rapid-fire assault, they run through most of the tracks from newly-minted debut album Kita.

Power Pop trio from Wellington with a heart full of Soul. Nikita is the songwriter and focal point. Taiwanese Kiwi, she has the air of a Joan Jett and plays judicious lead guitar. Add some Northern Soul and Debbie Harry New Wave Pop vocals and you have some idea of her sound and their stage presence.

The big sound comes from Rick Cranston drums and Ed Zuccollo keyboards, synth and various gadgets.

They open with Through the Trees. A slow build of a song, the easy-listening Soul sound of the singer stands out. This is helped by the drummer who plays accents reminiscent of the distinctive snap and drive of the classic Stax era and Al Jackson. They have a similar bass sound coming from the Moog synth. Nikita chimes in with a perfectly placed Surf twang guitar solo. Through the trees I see and breathe/ Every fragment. 

Every Day. We are dying to be loved/ So much more to life than just this. Starts with heavy rain. But the spirit is light and the music is sparkling with dance rhythms. Colour added with Surf and Rock guitar licks.

Dig Deep and this is one of the singer’s favourite tracks. Stax-style drum accents lead and power the song. One of the best examples of how the singer can bend Pop tones into Soul and convey an uplifting spirit. Whilst dealing with darker issues. The song was written in the midst of lockdown and fear.

I’m traveling light/ Through the days and night/ Leaving behind/ Shedding my skin layer by layer/ I pack them all away. The song flies and dances. A twangy guitar at the bridge.

Foggy is a stand-out track from a previous EP and a crowd-pleaser. A nice rhythm hook from the synth starts off a song which echoes back to a Northern Soul style floor-filler. Cheeky cat vocals like Eartha Kitt. Minimalist guitar licks Steve Cropper fashion. The band extend out the vamp on this one. It stays in R’n’B territory. Just.

The synths and gadgets of Zuccollo are responsible for a lot the inventive Pop sound. Silver is his one and it’s an exercise in sparkling tones and a bit of trash-organ. Again, the drums stand out front and add muscle.

This band show some serious Jazz chops. They can extend and stretch out on the vamps, able to be inventive and keeping the tempo at a dance level.

As on Private Lives. Dreamy reverie begins until the drum tattoo signals the switch to dance mode. The singer goes high at the bridge, then they come back for an extended jam. Eastern Twang guitar and they can rock out too.

They encore with Try to Find a Way. The singer channels Girl Group vocals. Glassy keyboard tones. Drums fire off with fast fills and finishes the song with thunder. First words and also the last.  

 A perfectly executed set from a sophisticated Pop Dance band. With a distinct debt to the classic Sixties Hard Soul of the House of Stax.

Rev Orange Peel

Click on any image to view a full size gallery. All photos by Leonie Moreland: