REVIEW: Kygo at Manchester Academy

THE Norwegian-born DJ, Kygo, performed at the Manchester Academy last night, and our entertainment reporter, Abi White, was there to review the evening…

Gaining his initial fame from his remix of the track, ‘I See Fire’ by Ed Sheeran, the DJ recognised for his tropical house went on to release the hit single, ‘Firestone’, which has over 215 million views on YouTube.

Kygo has since released many recognisable singles, including ‘Stole The Show’, ‘Here for You’ and ‘Stay’, which have featured in charts across the world. His debut album is set to arrive on May 13, 2016.

With a lovely spring evening, the Manchester weather surprisingly set a brilliant summer vibe for Kygo’s tropical house set. Opening acts for Kygo’s ‘Cloud Nine’ tour included DJ, Sonny Alven and singer, Anna of The North.

Whilst Alven had an upbeat nature about his set, Anna of the North opted for a more laid back and chilled set. The artists were both different yet both were fitting to the evening’s genre.

As Kygo took to the stage, the audience were instantly met with the beautiful electronic melodies, which continued throughout the evening. The music generally can make an audience feel as though they have been transported to a summer beach party and was complemented by the ambient lighting.

The DJ played several of his singles including his famous remixes of the tracks, ‘I See Fire’ and Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’ that went down particularly well with the appreciative audience.

Not only did Kygo show his DJ talents to the fans, but also was equally as skilled when sitting down at his piano to play a few beautiful melodies to the audience.

Kygo! Absolute one of a kind! ? #CloudNineTour #Kygo

A video posted by Calvin Chiu (@chiu_calvin) on Apr 22, 2016 at 9:30am PDT

The set was filled with variation as Kygo welcomed singers onto the stage that featured on some of his hit singles, including the likes of Parson James, Maty Noyes and previous support act, Anna of the North.

Each artist delivered a great performance and all were extremely talented vocalists, who managed to keep the audience entertained through each of their songs.

Whilst Maty Noyes featured on the rendition of ‘Stay’, Parson James took to the stage for ‘Stole the Show’ before Anna of the North appeared for a second time to perform an acoustic rendition of the hit single ‘Firestone’.

After the acoustic number, it transitioned into the single version and the audience became fuelled with excitement at the popular track.

The atmosphere at Kygo’s shows is a must-see, which radiates warmth within, and it was truly a delight to see the DJ live.

Ending his set, Kygo shortly returned to the stage for an encore accompanied by Parson James with ‘Nothing Left’ before the final song of the evening, ‘Stole the Show’. The venue became engulfed in white confetti, accompanied by a brilliant light display. This was definitely one of the highlights of the show, and will have left a brilliant impression on everyone in the audience as they strolled off into the night air.