Kyle Lux is undoubtedly among the most talented and captivating artists coming up at USC if not in the city of Los Angeles itself. Last Monday, December 2nd, Kyle played his first headlining show at the intimate Moroccan Lounge in the Arts District. Filling up the popular venue just a year after moving out to LA from South Carolina is a testament to how fast he’s grown and how receptive people are to his unique sound. I walked through the bar greeting familiar faces and eventually entered the back room, filled with sound by the Ourros DJ crew. TJ Wee, Lewis Caldwell, and John Van Liere knew just how to get the crowd warmed up, spinning an eclectic selection of music, old and new; soft, hard, and danceable. Ourros, which is also a creative studio and management company, worked with Kyle Lux heavily on the visuals surrounding his debut EP, No Roof Access.

With the energy already at a high level, Kyle walked on stage to a warm welcome from fans, friends, and future fans. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kyle for an interview and he told me performing live was his favorite aspect of being an artist. I thought back to this as I observed his stage presence: shouting out his producers, telling jokes between songs, pointing out friends in the crowd and above all, delivering a sonically pleasing and emotionally moving performance. One thing which I always suspected but was only confirmed at the show, was that Kyle is just as much of a performer as he is an artist. Kyle was matching with the Moroccan’s disco ball monday night, adorned in a sequin shirt, shimmering against the light and adding to the visual experience. Accompanied by Eli Bramnick on Guitar and Saxophone, Ted Bordeau and Sean Moran on keys, Jack Severino on bass and Jack Maitra on drums, Kyle gave the crowd an emotional performance of his modern and poppy take on R&B music.

With all the unique electronic textures and vocal effects heard on No Roof Access, it was interesting to see the band adapt to playing in a live setting. The spacious R&B ballad “Lightyear” kicked off the set and Kyle’s talent and passion as a singer-songwriter became instantly apparent to anyone not familiar with his work. The show climaxed with the track “Wonderful,” which featured trading keyboard solos and strong, convincing vocals from Kyle Lux. After scatting the outro, Kyle and his band, anticipating an encore chant, opted to forego the whole walk off the stage gimmick and ended the concert with a heartfelt cover of John Mayer’s “Gravity.” For someone who’s had as much early success as Kyle Lux, his debut show was amazing, uplifting, and intimate, but I can’t say it was unexpected. If you’re a fan of Kyle or generally like to support dedicated and talented young artists, I recommend getting out to one of his shows as soon as possible because in not too long it’ll be hard catching him at a venue as small and intimate as the Moroccan Lounge.

- Faiz Haque, music department intern

SHOW REVIEW: Kyle Lux at the Moroccan Lounge