GIG REVIEW – Kela Topan @ Pie Records, Rhos-On-Sea

I saw Kela Topan at Focus Wales Festival at Rewind in Wrexham last year, it was good, but this was better.
They turned up late, plugged in and played like a band possessed… That was basically it in a nutshell…
That nutshell is the quirky venue called Pie Records… Probably the best venue in the entire world (and they have Buckskin on draught). The 9pm live music curfew makes for an early night and also adds an edge to an evening that started late anyway…

There is always an edge when Dave Morait fronts a band, and his latest creation Kela Topan are no exception. It’s a weird atmosphere, he seems tense as he always does, yet relaxed at the same time; probably safe in the knowledge the band are as one.

It’s LOUD – very loud, those major to minor chord changes rip through the Rhos-On-Sea serenity like a welcome storm after a humid day. Last year’s single Gun Boys is an absolute belter, as is the forthcoming follow-up Retreat.

They play five, maybe six songs in this truncated set. Excellent bass, drums and keyboards compliment the searing guitar that is ruthlessly beaten throughout… The songs are as heartfelt as the performance, some start with a subtlety that is soon sledgehammered into your skull.

More please…