Amidst a biting winter night that was coldly slapping us all about the face; Zebrafi cascaded upon Café Kino’s basement to lead a chaotic autumn term to its climatic close.
The support act, Langkame, impressed the audience with contagious guitar riffs and hip-shaking percussion. Notable highlights included the band’s short but vital break to eat their sweets and the heavily bearded frontman that seemed like he belonged, more to the deep south, than to Bristol. Overall I found that Langkame were a delight to listen to.
Now on to Zebrafi…The band appeared relaxed and present in the moment, creating a warm atmosphere. Zebrafi worked hard at playing numerous shows in their first year of curation: this meant that after their short break, they returned to a receptive audience and significant pre-show fangirling from Holly Fanshawe. Rafi is an engaging frontman whose vocals transcend between hushed reflections and fiery aggression. Tight drumming from Ed directed the set’s vital diminuendos. In a similar measure, Hector easily held down the integral role that bass performs in the band’s sound. Emi’s harmonies sounded more present than in previous shows, together with her dainty keyboard additions which brought consistent melodic interest throughout the set.
Zebrafi’s intrigue comes from the variation they exercise within just one tune. Whereas other bands may rely on a full-length set to do the same thing. Memorable riffs pave the way for Zabrafi’s drawl-y youthful chants. I relished the progression from these more fragile moments into some heavy jamming. So, I hope one day I see Zebrafi play a packed-dark-sweaty-carboard-box kind of venue so that the audience can do justice to the band’s extremely danceable rock songs.