Kishi Bashi

Rarely have I encountered an individual and performance so charming. Travelling Australia without his band, Kishi Bashi is doing a very impressive solo show. Being very familiar with both of his albums, I was curious to see exactly how we was going to pull it off. Both albums are riddled with complexity and layered sound, it was difficult to imagine how this was going to work. The answer, it turns out, is to have two loop pedals and be surprisingly adept at beat boxing. So hear we have this waistcoat wearing fellow, with wild hair and a big grin, working his violin adeptly, displaying an incredible vocal range in between, and laying down the bout of beat-boxing, all while stepping on and off the loop pedals - and to incredible effect. The venue was tiny, which turned out to be perfect. The closeness and intimacy meant that you could see everything that happened, particularly if you were fortunate enough to end up on stage. When Kishi Bashi realised there were a good number of short people in a tall crowd, he cheerfully invited as many people as would fit to join him on the podium. Hugely interactive with the audience, and utterly charming. He talked over his rare looping fumbles with aplomb, was incredibly conversational, involved the audience in producing beats for the music, he even handed out candy. At the end of the show after disappearing for a little while, he even popped out to mingle with the people who stuck around. Highlights of the night were Q&A, Wonderwoman Wonder Me, Atticus In the Desert, Bittersweet Genesis for Him & Her, and of course the closer - Manchester. It was perfect. Thank you Kishi Bashi.

Great concert by Kishi Bashi! To be honest, I didn't know Kishi Bashi's music very well, I just heard a few songs, they sounded quite cool, I wanted to go out for a concert, the tickets were not very expensive, so I gave it a try. All I can say now, it was totally worth it! The concert was opened by Tall Trees and followed by another band, Beaty Heart. They both were great fun and set the perfect mood, in my opinion. But of course, Kishi Bashi, in the end took the trophy. Awesome music, very interesting with all those electronic mixers etc (sorry, don't know the technical words) and great involvement of the audience. All in all, we had an amazing evening (although it was a gloomy Tuesday here in Cologne, Germany - but the party didn't stop). Recommended and will go again definitely!

Absolutely amazing show. Played all of the songs I wanted to hear and a fantastic Talking Heads cover. For the encore, he joined the crowd in the pit and played three very intimate songs. So intimate I nearly cried.

The band is composed of incredible, lively, talented performers -- including the occasional percussive banjo and flute -- and his solo songs were of course incredible. He was very engaged with the audience the entire time, and the audience itself felt very safe and diverse.

This was the best show I've seen all year, and among the top two shows I've seen in my life. Kishi and his deep, warm connection with the audience gave me hope and optimism in the future in a way that few people can.

To top it off, the merchandise for sale is adorable too.

Caught the 1/28/15 show at the Aladdin in Portland, OR. Was expecting mostly just Kishi Bashi with a Roland and looping equipment, but the string quartet and Tall, Tall Trees were incredible. I haven't seen such talented musicians play in a while and it was obvious they were enjoying themselves a lot, especially Kishi Bashi, who talked a lot between songs and just seemed like an all around nice dude. Excellent covers (This Must Be the Place and Sunday Smile), pretty much every Kishi Bashi song I've heard but many presented with a little more starkness and emotion courtesy of the string quartet, plus a few to dance around to. Five stars from me, well worth the price and I'm glad I got to see him in such a (relatively) small and personal venue.

I wasn't sure how Kishi Bashi's music would translate to stage, given all the electronic elements, but it actually works great! In fact, it was fun to see how the loop pedals worked. Of course, his music is super-catchy and energetic. Kishi Bashi has a great voice with a lot of range, and he plays the violin so beautifully.

He's also very personable on stage. I saw him at Athfest 2018 when he performed on the kids' stage; he took a moment to tell the adults in the audience to make sure they weren't blocking the view of the kids around them, and invited the kids on stage to see how the equipment worked.

Great experience, can't wait to see him again!

Simply the best show I've seen all year. Not only is Kishi the best violinist in rock and roll today but his band demonstrated that they too are wizards of their craft. They played a high energy, dance-able set. Kishi looped the violin all over the place, had a beatbox solo. The banjo player played not only a screaming, soaring rock and roll banjo solo, but a banjo-drum solo. The bass player was able to crush out 55 push-ups during a three-piece cover of "Live and Let Die". The night left me trying to figure out how I could make ends meet by following them throughout the rest of their tour in order to experience the magic every night.

Great show at a great venue. I was a little apprehensive about the Sunday evening time slot (as I live impractically far from Osaka), but everything turned out all right in the end. Unfortunately, we arrived late and only caught the embers of the opening set. Kishi Bashi was amazing (as expected)!

He did an excellent job of interlacing new and less popular tracks with his standard hits. But, as is his style, even the well known songs were played with originality, passion, and innovation! The band was on point that night, the banter with the crowd was entertaining, and everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed!

5 out of 5 from me!

I am an grizzled concert veteran, so I feel like I've got a good barometer for what a truly GREAT live show looks like.
With that in mind, Kishi Bashi is arguably the best live act I've ever seen. The energy is incredible! Plus, it's just great to see such creative artistry done right in front of your eyes. If you can get really close, do so! The performance is enhanced when you can see them work their ridiculous amount of pedals, loops, and other electronics in order to do the music they do.
I can't recommend this show enough. GO SEE THEM!!

If you are looking for an experience in music where you are bathed in magical, haunting music, then you must see Kishi Bashi and his wonderfully talented band mates live in concert. Their musical talent is overwhelming and at times I was simply stunned by the layers of melodies and truly hypnotized. They are also gracious and compassionate and this seeps through their musical genius.

Absolutely phenomenal! One of the best First Avenue shows we've ever seen (seen hundreds) great energy, skill and creativity, harmonizing acoustic encore - just WOW! Kishi Bashi in one of music's best kept secrets, he has so much talent and range. He does not copy anyone, yet draws influences from many 70's & 80's bands. People need to discover Kishi Bashi while he is in his prime!