K.Flay Review

The unpredictability of the weather has become all too familiar to Angelenos in the last few months. We’ve been ping-ponging back and forth between warm and sunny to unbearably stormy. I could not be asked to leave my place on a night like that, but there I was, shivering in line in an alleyway in Highland Park to see K.Flay. To give you some backstory, the first time I saw K.Flay was in 2019. I crammed into the pit at the Wiltern with a friend, completely unaware of what I was about to witness. I had known her singles like “Blood in The Cut,” “High Enough,” and “Bad Vibes.” Little did I know I would become obsessed with her songwriting and aggressive performance style. I simply could not give up the opportunity to see her in a room like the Lodge Room.

Thursday night would be one of two sold-out shows at the Lodge Room on K.Flay’s Mono: Live in Stereo tour. As fans filed into the venue, good energy was felt in every corner. The vibes perfectly matched the wonder and whimsy of the venue. A large ornately carved wooden star and “candle-lit” chandeliers hung over patrons’ heads while hand-painted murals surrounded the purple and teal walls. It created the perfect escape for the experience the headliner had in store for the night. Before the crowd could even theorize about what the night held for us, the lights dimmed, and Fresno’s very own Vienna Vienna took the stage. Wearing a red jumpsuit with a silver star, frontman James Barre excitedly took the mic and greeted the crowd. Nothing could have prepared me for his electrifying performance.

Their set was a mixture of vibrant indie pop sounds, emotional ballads, and heartwrenching gritty storytelling. It was hard not to be entirely captivated by Barre’s presence. With his limitless energy and heartfelt emotion, he succeeded in creating an ambiance that was both compelling and emotionally charged. A highlight from the set was “Blame It on Us,” an earworm of a track with an all too familiar feeling of frustration for millennial and Gen Z listeners. It is a track filled with critiques of older generations setting up younger folks for failure and blaming the failure on social media addictions and a constant need for validation. It was hard not to be impressed by his songwriting and powerful vocal ability. Barre’s dynamic stage presence and ability to effortlessly connect with the crowd guaranteed that their set would not be a passing memory but a reminder of what’s to come for this hungry new artist. I would give them a search if I were you.

As quickly as they came, Vienna Vienna departed the stage. Time was inching closer and closer to the night’s headliners, making the room anxious and excited. Soon, the lights went down, and a voice rang through the room. “In the black shorts, the featherweight from Wilmette, Illinois. She is undefeated and known all over the world as The Punisher,” the announcer exclaimed over the speakers. The crowd exploded in cheers as K.Flay confidently strolled on stage. Dawning black boxing gloves and a satin black boxing robe with matching black shorts, she was ready to give Los Angeles a knock-out performance. She spun around to provide the crowd with a look at the back of her robe. THE PUNISHER flashed across the back, and the crowd grew louder and more eager than ever. The announcer exclaimed over the speakers again. “And her challenger…In a shocking case of events, it appears that K.Flay is also the challenger?” he said, sounding confused. “The ultimate showdown: Mono vs Mono. The opponent every person must eventually face is themselves. And so, from the Lodge Room in Los Angeles, CA. LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!” The room erupted in screams! She whirled around and kicked the night off with “Are You Serious?”, a fiery track off of MONO following the sudden loss of her hearing in her right ear and the processing that comes with this newfound change. 

The energy in the room shifted as the band played through MONO tracks like “Raw Raw,” “Can’t Sleep,” and “Carsick,” leaving the crowd breathless. If you know anything about a K.Flay show, you expect a set to go from 0 to 100MPH immediately. Jumping straight into Inside Voices / Outside Voices tracks like “Four Letter Words” and “Weirdo” had fans dripping sweat and screaming until their lungs gave out. While the night was filled with headbanging staples, it wouldn’t be an authentic K.Flay experience without a reality check, an honest conversation, reflection, and recentering. Given the state of society, this was greatly appreciated. 

Flay spoke to life’s relentless challenges—difficult partners, terrible working conditions, and the terrifying reality of what is taking place outside the venue’s doors. She asked the crowd to close their eyes and think of something or someone who had hurt them. She asked them to imagine that thing or person as a red balloon in their hands. 

She asked them to let go. 

To visualize the balloon floating away into the atmosphere, never to be seen again. One deep breath in. One deep breath out. The heaviness was gone, and sighs of relief filled the room. It was something special to witness. A room full of strangers came together to release whatever pain they had brought with them. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar, she sang “Hustler,” a song about deception, betrayal, and the devastating realization of not genuinely knowing someone despite feeling so deeply about them. It was heartbreaking and something I would take with me forever.

Soon after, she brought the tempo back up with “Blood in the Cut,” “Yes I’m Serious,” “High Enough,” and “Perfectly Alone.” It was a marathon of classics and hits perfectly chosen to wrap up an incredible night. Sweaty, Battered. Bruised. In the best way possible. K.Flay is a force of nature, swinging at any challenge that comes her way. She’s going all 14 rounds on this tour until the very last punch is thrown. Snag a ticket when she comes swinging through your town. You don’t want to miss it.