For the best part of 6 years, I have followed The Lounge Kittens. I have been fortunate enough to see them many times starting with small shows, all the way through festival slots and on their biggest headline tours. I have had the privilege off working with them through various different sites over the years and they are very dear to our hearts here at Rocksins.
It was heartbreaking then to hear the news that they would be calling it a day, and there would be 3 final shows in February of this year, that would mark the end of the Kittens as a music making collective. It’s hard to sum up just how much they have achieved over the last 6 years. But I think above all else, the one thing we can take away, and perhaps it’s the most important is the community that they have created. Not only for themselves, but for music fans in general, breaking down barriers and even finding themselves accepted and embrace by even the most hardened metalheads. It’s a truly truly special thing, and is this community that has carried Jen, Timia and Zan through the last 6 years and crucially through these final shows.
I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for their last ever performance on Saturday (Feb 29th) at The 1865 in Southampton, to see them off in style. It would be really easy to treat this as just a normal gig review and go through the motions of the show as it happened, but this was more than a show, this was a celebration and an emotional one at that.
The first thing to take away is that venue is absolutely packed to the gills (or should that be whiskers?) but the atmosphere is jubilent, various people from different backgrounds, and age groups, some in cosplay, others in home made merch, all chatting and sharing their favourite Lounge Kittens memories. It’s an incredible atmosphere that sprinkles a little extra magic over the evening.
The show tonight is split into two parts. Act One as it were features just The Kittens, in all of their glory. It must be pointed out, that the reception they receive is deafening, and well deserved. The vibe onstage is playful and loose and all 3 are in fine form, between the onstage banter, the dance moves and their ability to hold it together in what is surely an emotional moment for them all. They run through what can only be considered a highlight reel from their career, packed with their children’s tv themes medley, the pop punk medley, their Sonisphere 2014 medley, but also hitting their versions of Poison by Alice Cooper, Love Is Only A Feeling by The Darkness, and many more. The crowd eats up every little bit of it and the room quickly descends into a massive party.
The second act of the evening is where things really kick into gear, as a full band joins them onstage and we get a rather heavy rendition of One Step Closer by Linkin Park, a joyous Africa by TOTO, the now legendary Sean Paul medley and the emotional gut punch of their Aviici medley. Having a full band behind them gave so much more to the performance and gave somewhat of a hint as to an avenue that could have been explored had they remained intact.
As they play their final song and thank all of the fans for their continued support, it’s hard not to get emotional at the thought that this is the last time we will ever get to see Red, Pink and Blue/Green on stage together as a band. But it’s also comforting to see how many people are here to send them off, and it’s inspiring to see just how far they have come, from humble beginnings to festival stages, arenas, rock magazines, charity singles, the list of accomplishments they have achieved is astonishing, but as we have said before, the fact they managed to bring so many people together and spread so much joy and happiness with their music is really quite amazing and the real testament to their legacy. If this truly is the end of the road it’s been a hell of a ride and one that I, like so many am thankful to have been a small part of.
