Soup Kitchen’s basement may not be the most aesthetically-pleasing venue in Manchester, with brick grinning from behind peeling paintwork and a mass ventilation system suspended above its guests.
But there’s no denying that it hosts some of the most interesting artists of the moment.
And on Wednesday it played host to the Northern début of Fis, a New Zealand beatmaker signed to Horo – an experimental offshoot of Samurai Records.
The underground space seemed apt for Fis’ music, a kind of dark unquantised drum and bass with deep sub tones that could shatter bones.
BONE-SHATTERING BASS: Fis unleashes his sound in Manchester
Supporting Fis was Kiyoko, of the same label, comprised of Manchester’s own Jack Lever (Bering Strait) and Joe McBride (Synkro).
A myriad of influences came together to form rset reflecting artists such as Flying Lotus and Tobacco, but always with the duos own distinct twist.
However the real show stealers and the first of the evening to take to the stage were Seers, a project of Poppy Roberts and Liam Blackburn (Indigo).
HOME-GROWN TALENT: Kiyoko
Somewhat of an enigma before their performance, with the only track on SoundCloud having received more than 20,000 plays in a short space of time, little was known about their upcoming set.
Poppy’s voice rang with astonishing clarity between the ethereal textures created by Blackburn.
She created a simple but full vocal that met with intensity through a succession of loops leaving the audience dazed.
ENIGMATIC: Seers wowed audience at Soup Kitchen
Overall the two had great onstage chemistry, clearly sharing a common vision that manifests perfectly in their music.
Whether Apollo will release their material is unknown but with the response that they received tonight, the label would be foolish not to.
Featured image courtesy of Sunandbass via YouTube, with thanks
Pictures courtesy of Ben Meek
