Over the past year, The Knee-Hi's have undergone a beautiful evolution, finding new dimensions in their sound and song writing. What keeps pulling me back to them though, what started it all for me, hasn't changed. It's the glam-punk, DIY pageantry that runs through everything they do, unlike any other artists I've photographed. Their energy never wanes or feels watered down.
It arrives fresh every single time, and when they punctuated the musical acts segment of the evening at the Great Gathering, they brought down the farm.
Their show at The Pavilion was a glam rock homecoming that welcomed everyone into its embrace. With Alice and Devyn at times now guitar and bass-less, they've transformed into something untethered, moving with a sultry, unbridled freedom that's also reflected in their vocals. Their shiny facets surface (glam, glamour, glitter) then shatter in real time, revealing the sweat and skill it takes to pull it off.
There's a magnetism in their liberation, an on-stage pull that's hard to resist.
The show offered classic songs reimagined, raw demos, multiple covers delivered with reverence. The newest member, Jaime, brings the long-awaited synths, good lord, finally the synths, and a Jett-fueled girl charm that slots perfectly into their glittering universe. Devyn's larger-than-life presence radiates as always, her bejeweled face paying tender homage to her sparkly bass #13. Alice, in her babushka until flung away, parted the pit like the sea during an encore, her trademark smile both sweet and dangerous, pulling every eye toward her as she blazed mischievously. Andrew held it down in his Beatles-esque jacket, weathered from countless shows, while the set ended with Nick collapsing on his drums and the crowd following suit, the pavilion's collective adrenaline temporarily spent.
This show was a greatest hits compilation, a show for friends, closing the way only a finale can. Every past element converging into one perfect night...
...until their next show, where coordinating red and white baseball jerseys were unfolded and at the ready.