Concert Review: Kings Live In Auckland

New Zealand born producer, rapper, singer, songwriter Kings ended the last leg of his first ever national tour in his hometown, Auckland on Saturday night. The Tuning Fork, in the heart of Auckland city was the perfect venue for Kings to farewell his successful Flex tour, joining other accomplished artists who have graced the same stage, like Billie Eilish, Little Simz and Church & AP.

The sold-out Auckland show was jam packed with fans eager to have a good time, even when waiting in the line outside, the windy winter weather could not kill anyone’s vibe.

Auckland’s most influential identical twins, the Katayanagi Twins, kicked off the show shortly after 8pm, spinning fresh sounds to get the crowd warmed up as people were still flooding in. The duo is known to get the crowd hyped and they for sure live up to that expectation.

Next up, the opening act, Unchained XL brought to the stage his unique sound of afrocentric rap, further hyping up an already hyped crowd for Kings. It was just bars on bars, that’s honestly the best way to describe it. Unchained XL brought out his mate, Kevin Posey, who is also an Auckland artist, rapping together to the yells of encouragement from the crowd. It is always contagious seeing a duo on stage with chemistry and an obvious friendship, and it was a great way to open up for the main act.

Kings finally stormed the stage, greeted by the excited roar of the crowd. The combination of the colourful strobe lights, the screen projector behind the performers showcasing buzzy visuals and the live band made it a night to remember. The live band made the experience so much more wholesome and it was, in fact, refreshing to go to a concert with a live band as opposed to having a DJ playing the songs. Kings, himself, even played a few tunes on the guitar and the night really was a showcase of how crazy New Zealand’s talent is. Kings, of course, played his top bangers, 6 Figures and Don’t Worry Bout’ It and the crowd went absolutely wild. It definitely brought back a lot of good memories associated with his songs. A great end to his New Zealand tour, Auckland really turned up.

Reviewed by: Breanna Tugaga-Rogers
@bretugs

Photographed by: Kanisha Gerrard
@kxkox