LaKyoto at The Bongo Club Edinburgh

LaKyoto played their biggest headliner show so far at The Bongo Club in Edinburgh on the 2nd of November.

Support band DICTATOR plays a wide range of styles during their set, starting with «Days Go By». The dimly lit stage makes for an immersive experience as the band ventures into the different genres of their musical repertoire, exploring everything from house inspired bangers to mellow ballads.

They’re offering songs like «Taped Up», «Hide & Seek» and «Manama». They also take their own spin on a couple classics in the mashup «Rollin’ In The Sweet Dreams», making the crowd sing along.

DICTATOR finishes off their set with soon to be released debut single «Anthem for a Doomed Youth», available through all streaming platforms Friday 15th of November. The Bongo Club is the band’s fourth gig, but they’ve already got the fans cheering for more.

Captivating connection

LaKyoto, headliner of the night, steps on stage and opens with «Don’t Say It’s So». The Edinburgh-based alternative pop four-piece captivates the audience from the very first note. It doesn’t take the vocalist long to join the crowd greeting him with arms wide open during «Shake». They continue jumping and dancing along with the vocalist as we roll into the song «When I Was A Kid».

The connection between artist and fans is filled with so much love that it’s impossible to do anything but smile at the sight.

The songs «Forget» and «Love Is Just A Word Inside My Head» are next up, and they further amp up the atmosphere, before the band continues the set with a cover of Post Malone’s «Sunflower». The band brings a different vibe to it and makes for a new experience listening to the mainstream tune, in the most positive way. «Something About You» fills the nightclub and it’s apparent that the audience know the song as they sing loudly along.

Onward to success

The singing continues as the band’s latest single «Wannabe» is played. This song is slower and makes for a lovely change of pace. The deep rythm mixed with the heartfelt vocals and sharp guitar creates one of the highlights of the night for me personally. The set is continued with the single «Invincible». The song starts out with Conor’s voice accompanied by a mellowed guitar, before the drums and bass kicks in, switching up the atmosphere of the room again, making the crowd throw their hands in the air.

Keeping the same energy, the band rounds off the evening with their debut single from 2017, «Runaway», and it’s safe to say the audience gives the finale their all. The band’s worked up quite the fanbase and there’s no sign of slowing down anytime soon. They’ve seen huge success on streaming platforms such as Spotify, and they’re the most voted band ever on Amazing Radios Audition Show. Having already caught the intrigue of some of Scotland’s top promoters, as well as BBC Introducing, this is a band you definitely shouldn’t sleep on.

All photos: Eirunn Smaaland Oppheim