LIVE REVIEW: Rainbow Kitten Surprise in Portland, ME (09.13.26)
We’ve “heard it booming at parties,” and on an early Sunday night, we got to hear Rainbow Kitten Surprise in real life at the Portland, Maine stop of their bones Tour at Thompson’s Point. Despite the questionable weather, it seemed like nothing could keep the almost sold-out crowd of over 6,000 from showing up and sounding out at the outdoor venue.
Emerging ensconced by a techno beat and glaring lights, the band switched gears most drastically by starting with “Pacifically Love” completely A Capella before hard launching into “Mission to Mars.” The stop starts were attention grabbing and sparked instant gratification to the long awaited bombast. The high energy “Our Song” kept the sass and snark in the story telling while lead singer Ela Melo glided around the stage.
The playful “Hide” inspired swaying and dancing while Melo’s voice rang out around quirky guitar chords from Ethan Goodpaster. Continuing the twang with “Dang,” the fast talk singing flowed effortlessly in a fun refrain.
“When It Lands” started with a piano intro from Drew Long and a funky bouncing bass groove from bassist Maddie Bouton. A guitar solo lead into more speed talk singing from Melo before swelling into slower ebbs and flows that culminated in an ending fit for a spy movie.
Relaxing things a bit, “Holy War” started slow and smooth before picking up with sharp guitars and harmonic “Kabooms” and a round from the band. The lights faded in unison matching the chilled out vibe of the song.
A quick stop and restart happened due to a medical emergency in the crowd. The band proved they have their fans’ backs, proclaiming that if anyone needs help, just strobe your phone light and they’d alert security as best as they could.
Recomposing themselves, smooth fingerpicking kicked off “Devil Like Me,” a bit more of a blended electronic offering from the band. A click clacking drum beat kept the backbone while Melo’s dulcet tone and the band’s cooing “oohs” kept things bright. “All’s Well That Ends” continued those “oohs” while jangly guitar chords created the scene and more train track drumstick clacks and soft bass drum thumps from Jess Haney drove the rhythm.
Tour titled track “bones” further proved the ability of quick witted poetry with rises and falls matching the instrumentals underneath, sneaking in some twinkling keys and weaving guitars from Goodpaster and Bozzey Keller. The last two songs demonstrating how the band’s sound has evolved, but also how it has stayed true to its roots by blending and melding various key components and keeping the Southern charm.
“Painkillers” started with fingerpicking and maracas before Melo’s sharp twang cut through with sass. The song was a journey, gentle and soft at just the right times with only acoustic guitar and vocals, adding to the experience of being lost in kind of a hypnotic trance.
“Friendly Fire” brought back the ballad with cries of “Time tells all” adding to the hints of heartbreak. Flipping the coin and rip roaring back into the swing of things, “Matchbox” echoed with snares and snappy storytelling in a poppy, hopping, ultimate test of lyricism.
Prioritizing packing in the tunes over talking, Melo took a second to quip, “I’ve gotten to say Portland twice this year.. And this is the one right here,” to a loud applause of victory over the city named after us.
Steady pulses opened “Shameful Company,” a song that was anything but shameful with the band’s super solid harmonies in good company. Playing off that and increasing the tempo, “Goodnight Chicago” brought it back to a bouncy beat and satiny vocals.
Crowd favorite “Cocaine Jesus” both started simple and acoustic, the power in Melo’s voice pure and shining. The verses layered on more and more vocals and sounds until it all ended the way it started.
“Never Have I Ever” kept the dancing light and airy as everyone was, “Feeling this beat” and moving with the crowd. Drum fills rolled on setting the dancing pace.
The cutesy and folksy “Heart” brought them back to their North Carolina roots, before fully launching into a full acoustic mini set. Drawing all of the band members to the center of the stage, they held a group sing-a-long carried along with just acoustic guitars and a faded bass drum stomp. “Black and White” saw them crooning the chorus and clapping along.
“Whoever’s favorite song this is, this one’s for you,” Melo called before leading the band into “Hey Pretty Momma,” a choir ensemble style sing song. Finishing off the acoustic mini set with “First Class,” the audience ate up the sadness and sweetness and shone their phone lights while swaying and singing along.
“That’s always nice. It’s our campfire moment,” Melo concluded.
Taking a moment for the band to return to their positions, they then launched into what’s probably their most sonically eclipsing single “Superstar,” a hooky showstopper with twinkling, bright guitars and equally bright lights.
“Wasted” brought out the band introductions and started the heavier rock sound that bled over into “Run.” The former with the return of the ticking drumsticks like a railroad, the latter with a stompy, Southern rock tinge and roaring guitar showing they can get bluesy when given the chance. Ending the set with a rager left the energy high as they walked off to hoots and hollers.
Disappearing for a quick minute, they emerged for the encore with Melo donning a feather trimmed robe. Jumping right into “Tropics,” they got the crowd jumping too. A steady, tantalizing and soothing track that was easy to get lost in and enjoy the fleeting moments left of the show. Ending with the long awaited “Its Called: Freefall,” Melo dramatically somersaulted around the stage, putting action to the emotion behind the words. The band left it all behind as they chanted in unison with the crowd to wrap up a perfect evening under the night sky.
Notable Opener: Cigarettes @ Sunset brought their “Appalachian possum rock” to Portland to kick off the night, and found success in getting spirits up despite the misty weather. Fusing mountain folk with alternative rock and even throwing a violin into the mix, their songs were raw yet composed, energetic yet gentle, and entirely picturesque in that southern storytelling style.
