It was a balmy night on the national and unofficial holiday of 4/20 in the wonderful city of San Diego and King Krule was headlining at The Observatory North Park. Leading the way and setting the mood off in the right direction was the graceful and gifted, Kelsey Lu. The blossoming talent of Kelsey Lu’s songwriting is nothing to take lightly. Either it be by use of a bow, plucking, or even scratching the strings of her cello, Kelsey Lu paves her own road for as a modern multi-instrumentalist. Her lyrics strike a chord within that promotes buried memories of heartbreak. She empathizes and captures the beautifully painful process of falling in love and building the strength to lift up and love yourself after being hurt. Her honest and soulful voice is a vessel that leads you through a forest of memories of both lovely and dark.

Attention to detail is not only in her songwriting but also in the way she designs the entire structure of her performance. In San Diego, Lu’s voice poured slowly into The Observatory and weaved through the gentle strings of her cello. Gradually accelerating the tempo, Kelsey Lu’s cello synchronized with the heartbeats in the room and carried them with it as the performance intensified into harder notes and more passionate vocal projections. With both parents being artists, Kelsey Lu is a naturally radiant performer who captures the attention of everyone in the room. She has a delicate way of displaying her soul and transferring her raw emotion and deep life experiences into truly beautiful arrangements of art, especially live.

In between weekend 1 and 2 of Coachella performanced, King Krule visited North Park and sold out the venue. Wishing everyone a happy 4/20, Archy Marshall introduced his band before performing jams off of “6 Feet Beneath the Moon” and the latest masterpiece “The Ooz”. Talented hooligan saxophonist, Ignacio Salvadores, was an illuminated bolt of lighting and one of the most spirited performers of the night. Crowd surfing and jetting across stage, Ignacio supplied a heavy dose of momentum that the audience completely fed off of. In the moment of chanting for an encore, many voices got on board with chanting “Ignacio” because of how memorable and loved he was by the San Diego crowd. For their encore, King Krule performed “Out Getting Ribs”, a classic track that many actually discovered King Krule (under the name “Zoo Kid” at that time) back in 2013.

Archy Marshall has always been an artist since a young age and now at only 24 years old, he’s revolutionizing the world of music as we know it. With no boundaries, King Krule often fearlessly experiments by fusing together jazz and punk. It’s rare to see a young talent be so experimental with two totally distinct styles of the past but Marshall is truly an old soul with an emotional punk aesthetic. His approach tastes modern but there’s no denying his roots go far back into another time and place, and that’s why it’s so hard to pull away from his art - it’s familiarly unfamiliar and in a way aurally comforting.

Coverage by Sade De La Espriella

For upcoming events and artists features, follow SoundBite Magazine on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. If you would like to be feature your event, art, music, or company on SoundBite Magazine, please contact soundbitemag@gmail.com for features and promotional inquiries

Images may not be used, modified, or cropped without permission from Sade De La Espriella or SoundBite Magazine. Please contact Sade De La Espriella for use of photography

Goldenvoice: King Krule and Kelsey Lu mystifying performances at The Observatory North Park