The crowd buzzes in anticipation for Sarah Kinsley to take the stage for her last show of the Fleeting tour, as KOKO’s dazzling disco balls scatter reflections across a sold-out room. Opening the concert is Yndling, a dream pop band hailing from Norway, warming up the crowd with ethereal vocals and lush guitar soundscapes.
Sarah Kinsley’s set design is notably minimal. With her initials SK black on white on a giant white backdrop, Sarah dances onto the stage to open her set with 'Truth of Pursuit', immediately commanding the room with a presence that feels both theatrical and intimate.
Sarah’s sound is simultaneously nostalgic and fresh, at times recalling the dramatic art pop of Kate Bush and Florence & The Machine, while remaining distinctly her own. Throughout the set, Kinsley effortlessly shifts between airy, weightless vocals and something far more visceral and exposed. The performance moves fluidly between cinematic synth-pop and indie-inspired dream pop, balancing emotional intensity with polished production.
The Columbia University-educated multi-instrumentalist and producer has often credited parts of her approach to music creation to her training in classical music - something she also connects to her Chinese American heritage. Throughout the night, Kinsley moves fluidly between guitar and keyboard without ever losing her grip on the room.
Much has changed since her first-ever show in London four years ago, playing to a crowd of 200 people at The Social. Sarah Kinsley, who grew up in Connecticut and Singapore before moving to New York City, reflects on her relationship with the city: “London feels like the only other place I truly feel at home”.
With the climax of her Fleeting tour behind her, Sarah Kinsley is next headed to Mexico for her first headline show in the country - another milestone in the rapid rise of an artist clearly hitting her stride and growing into increasingly larger stages.
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