Sunday, January 11th, 2009

Cloud Kollektiv @ Kulcha

Finally! A new Cloud Kollektiv gig... they played at Kulcha last night in their first show after taking out two WAMI awards for 2008.

It was a new Cloud Kollektiv that took the stage due to keyboard player David Scharpf returning to his native Austria, and Bal Singh focussing on his medical career for the time being. However, beats-maestro-and-mastermind Trilby Temperley and brilliant guitarist Paul Hines remain, and were joined by new lineup Scott Mitchell (sitar) and keyboard player Brian Kruger of the Typhoons. Perhaps the most exciting addition was the return of vocalist Samanta Ray, who was lost in Europe for most of 2008.

The start of the show seemed as though they were still finding their feet a little as an ensemble, but a couple of tracks in they were soaring, one of the best Cloud gigs I've seen, with so much to like.. familiar grooves with some exciting new elements.

Samanta Ray stunned the audience with a beautiful operatic aria between tracks. Another great surprise was Kruger's electric violin, which is a welcome addition to the Cloud sound. After a long break between shows, it was exciting to see such a fresh new lineup and sound.

Check them out at www.cloudkollektiv.com - there's a facebook link there too.