King Tuff's Kyle Thomas is a mystical sort—a scruffy, talented sweetheart who crafts garage pop with an ear so good, it must be magic. Armed with an infectious catalogue of songs, and fresh off the release of his band’s latest album, Black Moon Spell, Thomas returned to cast his spell on the Cactus Club Friday night.
The show was sold old before Milwaukee openers Whips had finished their set. Offering slightly dramatic but effective female-fronted rock, colored at times with inventive, almost proggy touches, Whips walked the line between heavy and light. It’s always good to see local bands open for national touring acts, and even better when the band holds their own.
Next up was Cassie Ramone, veteran of now-defunct legends Vivian Girls, who is no stranger to the garage-pop sound. Possessed of a sweet, wispy sort of voice, she conjures memories of the riot grrrl movement, proving that you don't need a powerful voice to project powerfully. Taking the stage with just an acoustic guitar and a bottle of beer, Ramone asked the crowd to sit down, which, somewhat unbelievably, they did. It takes guts to ask the audience at a rock show to sit on the floor, but if you're alone on a guitar playing a set sandwiched between two rock bands, chutzpah must be paramount. Unfortunately, not even chutzpah could remove the uneven vibe of the set, which made much of the softly psychedelic material difficult to engage with. The room lacked the warmth and space to allow Ramone’s well-constructed and truly interesting songs to command the attention they deserve.
Luckily, any doubts about the evening were dispelled by the magic that is King Tuff. Unsurprisingly, the energy of the show shifted when Kyle Thomas and company took the stage, and when they kicked into their set, it was as though a whole different show had begun. As a three-piece, King Tuff sounds bigger and badder than seems possible, due in equal parts to Kyle Thomas' guitar prowess and the exceptional musicianship of his bassist and drummer. The setlist heavily favored the recently released album Black Moon Spell, but the songs benefited from the live treatment, which roughened up their edges and gave Thomas an opportunity to howl and scream, as appropriate. Shreddy, frenetic, and fun, songs like "Black Moon Spell," "Eyes of the Muse," were kicked into high gear. While the setlist may have been devoted to newer material, Thomas threw in some older gems, including the delightful "Freak When I'm Dead," and one of the best tracks from 2012’s self-titled album, “Bad Thing.”
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Other standouts included non-album gems “Wild Desire” and “Biggest Hearts,” and “Eddie’s Song,” the fantastic closing track on Black Moon Spell. Thomas saved some treats for last, ending the set with “Anthem,” the slick, danceable opening track from 2012’s self-titled album, and granting an encore that included “I Love You Ugly,” which ended the show on a sweet note. That sweetness, along with some serious guitar skill, seems to be King Tuff’s magic ingredient, one that makes his live show well worth the wait.
