While Holt has been openly trans for some time now, Melo only came out as gay alongside the release of Rainbow Kitten Surprise's 2018 album, How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. Well, it just so happens that two of the members of the five-piece band are also members of the LGBTQ+ community - singer Sam Melo is gay and bassist Charlie Holt is trans. Additionally, this performance coincided with the West Hollywood Pride Parade and associated celebrations during a year where the LGBTQ+ community has faced particular hardship, with the advancement of legislation like Donald Trump's recently upheld ban on transgender enrollment in the military. The Troubadour is located in West Hollywood, the historic gay district of Los Angeles. This tale of internal conflict is particularly relevant for both the band and this particular show. "Called to the devil and the devil said, 'Hey, why you been calling this late? It’s like 2 AM and the bars all close at ten in hell, that’s a rule I made' Anyway, you say you’re too busy saving everybody else to save yourself And you don’t want no help, oh well That’s the story to tell"
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The band opened with one of the marquee tracks off of their most recent release, "It's Called: Freefall," a haunting folk-rock-tinged song that addresses internal conflict. Though each Rainbow Kitten Surprise show has a compelling narrative, we were lucky enough to catch a performance that had a particularly relevant message. On June 9, the North Carolina-based band played an intimate show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA, and Ones to Watch was lucky enough to stop by and see what stories the band had to tell. Frontman Sam Melo's dexterous lyrics delivered over the band's uniquely narrative playstyle condenses a vast expanse of emotions and experiences into a cohesive, consumable performance.
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However, there is one feature that is present throughout each of the group's songs - a captivating story. With an eclectic sound that draws elements from classic folk, hip-hop, and rock, the band is a veritable chameleon in the world of popular music. Rainbow Kitten Surprise is a band that defies all definition.