When you see a girl with blue hair and a spiked belt get on stage, you probably expect many things that Kings Elliot is not. As someone who had pink hair for almost two years, I know what assumptions come to the minds of people that don’t really know you, and I also know that it is pretty satisfying to debunk those suppositions. That is exactly what Kings did by opening every night with her song “I’m Getting Tired Of Me,” a ballad with an early 2000s romcom energy that allows the Swiss to show off her vocal range from the very beginning, while also proving why she is Stephen Sanchez’s perfect opener.
Chicago’s Lincoln Hall already naturally holds an intimate spirit, and adding Kings Elliot music and her very personal writing style only makes the performance even more special. As the supporting act of someone else’s tour, getting on stage to perform in front of people that very likely don’t know you or your music can be terrifying, but Sanchez’s welcoming crowd could not help but let Kings into their heart. After all, she is just one of us. With songs like “Cry, Baby, Cry” and “‘Til I Die,” both from her newest 2022 EP “Bored Of The Circus,” the London-based artist connected with the audience, as she sang about topics that feel way too familiar to most: feeling alone, like you’re about to hit rock bottom, and also madly in love.
My personal favorite from Kings’ set was “The Outsider,” from her 2021 project “Chaos In My Court,” which perfectly summarized how people that don’t necessarily fit in feel like everyday. Once again, the quiet but supportive atmosphere at the venue felt warmer, like there was some unspoken agreement that we were all the protagonists of this song, like this was our song. And ironically enough, as Elliot sang the words “I know I don’t belong here, belong here with you”, it was undeniable that she did indeed fit in right there, at that show, with that audience.
Even the main act of the night couldn’t help but fall in love with her, as he publicly admitted during his own set. Right before performing Unchained Melody, the song that they allegedly fell in love to, he gave a genuine, full of nervousness speech about their story and connection, and then proceeded to sing The Righteous Brothers’ classic while looking up at her. Everyone in the crowd could feel a shift in energy as they watched Kings giggle and blush from the balcony.
“Lost Again,” a song Elliot wrote for the video game The Callisto Protocol, reminded me of Billie Eilish’s earlier and softer work, as Kings’ raspy but embracing voice filled the space. She finished her slot with her biggest song to date, “Call Me A Dreamer,” another song that just makes sense for Stephen Sanchez’s opening act. The melodies evoke the same energy that songs like “Until I Found You” and “Hey Girl” by Sanchez do, so it turned into the perfect gateway into the main set of the tour.
Kings Elliot is clearly just at the beginning of her promising career, and I hope everyone that has been able to see her perform live realizes how much of a privilege that is. I can’t wait to see what comes next for her, what new heartbreaking topics she turns into soothing melodies, and look forward to witnessing her rise in the indie scene.
Show Date: 02.25.23 | Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall | Kings Elliot at Lincoln Hall Chicago