Live: Children Of Zeus @ Rough Trade, Bristol
Children Of Zeus (Tyler Daley & Konny Kon) are currently embarking on their UK tour for the long awaited Travel Light album, the duo’s stellar debut release. Having already firmly established themselves as a super group of sorts, their evolved, soulful and organic sound has been tearing up stages across Europe for a while now, but this tour is different. This is a clear marker point for the group, with a beautiful piece of music which has garnered support from every orifice of the Hip Hop and Soul communities, this tour feels like a celebration of music which transcends Children Of Zeus. As the group mentioned, a year ago they were playing to a handful of people and now they are filling a room, with people squashed in the door desperate to get involved.
The night kicked of with a humble and seriously soulful performance from Manchester based vocalist [ K S R ] who was the perfect warm up for COZ. His honest, heartfelt lyrics, alongside his conversational style with the crowd had everyone entranced. With the moody red lights in the dark room, this was the perfect set for a rainy cold Autumn evening. With Emanuel J Burton supporting him on the decks, and [ K S R ] joking with crowd, getting them to remember his name. The vibe was set.
Children Of Zeus began with the lights as low as they could go, with the somewhat haunting vocals of Tyler Daley resonating throughout the room, then the beat dropped, Konny Kon made his presence known and the stage ignited with a new energy. The duo’s performance was flawless, with the right amount of back and forth and banter with the crowd, who immediately went mad when [ K S R ] returned to the stage to perform All On You. Finally, the moment came when the group performed Still Standing, and to see the entire room singing “yeah yeah yeah yeah….” Accapella alongside the duo looking stunned, appreciative and happy was a great moment.
With an encore featuring some serious Dub sounds the crowd left with a tangible sense of happiness and gratitude for Manchester now not so hidden gems. Onwards and upwards for the crew! Their UK tour continues, as does the limited edition merch and special guests along the way including [ K S R ].
Words & Photos by Vice.