Flyte’s homecoming show at Koko Camden kicked off with the acoustic ballad Speech Bubble, during which you could hear a pin drop among the enamoured crowd. Frontman Will Taylor later described the opening song choice as “risky” in a room of 1,500 people, but he needn’t have worried – he had the crowd in the palm of his hand.
The London duo – made up of Taylor and Nicolas Hill – released their self-titled third album in October, following 2021’s This is Really Going to Hurt and 2017’s The Loved Ones. They’ve been touring the US and Europe since then, but were clearly delighted to be back on home turf: “London!” Taylor said in greeting to the crowd, “it’s good to be home.”
Older stand-outs Losing You and Cathy Come Home inspired spirited singing from the crowd. Although their second album is especially beloved, Taylor described their latest record as an “antidote” to its predecessor: “a dock leaf to that nettle.” It was a joy to see Taylor and Hill bringing the tender, heart-warming record to life.
Flyte were joined on stage at various points by singer-songwriter (and Taylor’s partner) Billie Marten, indie folk band The Staves, and Bombay Bicycle Club’s drummer Suren de Saram, (Marten presented the drummer with a Colin the Caterpillar cake while the room sang Happy Birthday).
Marten performed Laura Marling's part on Tough Love – the lead single from their latest album; a moving duet about an unhealthy relationship – as well as for her own duet, Don’t Forget About Us.
Much of Flyte’s repertoire encourages stillness and intent listening, and the mostly respectful crowd maintained a quiet calm throughout the performances.
But moments of dissonance arose when a raucous heckler repeatedly asked Taylor to take his shirt off and yelled out in quiet moments. Her antics were met with unimpressed shushes from the crowd, which eventually became more disruptive than the initial whooping.
The band handled the discord well, by affectionately dubbing their fans “the Shushies,” as an alternative to Taylor Swift’s “Swifties”. Ahead of an acapella cover of Alvvays’ Archie, Marry Me, they had to shut the shushers down for good, but kept their composure and won back the crowd’s attention (and quietude).
While their penultimate song was fan favourite White Roses, the final song of the evening was a shout-out to fans who have been there since the very beginning: their 2014 single Light Me Up, which is no longer available to stream, and has mostly been scrubbed from their back catalogue.
Apparently there are plans in the works to bring back some of these early band indie anthems; Taylor hinted at being able to record and release some of these old songs as the band approach their 10th anniversary. So while we’re still absorbing the release of their most recent record, it sounds as though Flyte’s fans, old and new, are in for a treat soon.
