King Isis reigns supreme at her live show in NYC

Oakland native, NYC transplant King Isis opened for Mehro at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right on Tuesday to a mixed crowd in the intimate backroom. Half of the attendees came early to see Isis perform while others arrived early to stake out a space to see the headliner later that night. All of those in attendance were treated to a fantastic music showcase that set the vibe for a memorable night.

King Isis walked on stage punctually at 7 p.m. dressed for punk prom with a black acoustic guitar in hand. I waited for the rest of her band to occupy the space around her but to my surprise, the lights dimmed and she ripped into a solo acoustic set. Isis didn’t let the lack of backing instrumentation stop her from using the full range of her voice. This was best showcased on her cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. As the crowd responded to each rendition she seemed to summon more and more fire for each verse, but always pausing in-between tracks to let her crowd know she loved them too.

At the merch stand after her set she told me it was her first time playing an acoustic set in New York. She went on to share that “it was kind of scary to play acoustically because that’s just how [she] writes [her] songs”. This personal connection to playing music this way, just her and the guitar, was most apparent on “4leaf clover”. The song was Isis’ 2022 debut single and to date, her only song played in this style. But she played through each song in her repertoire like she had done it that way in front of a New York audience a thousand times.

King Isis will be supporting Mehro on their US tour and will be seen next at the House of Blues in Nashville, Tennessee (full tour dates below). After the set, she shared with us that next time she is in New York she’d perform with her whole band, which would be a not to miss show.

Tour dates

3/4 – Nashville, TN – The End
3/5 – Atlanta, GA – Vinyl
3/7 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Bronze Peacock
3/9 – Dallas, TX – Dada
3/12 – Denver, CO – Moon Room
3/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
3/17 – Seattle, WA -The Crocodile – Madame Lou’s
3/18 – Portland, OR – Holocene
3/20 – San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord
3/21 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy
3/24 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues Voodoo Room
3/25  – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge