I first encountered Ian Kay in 2019.  I was at a music festival called "Pinup," in a half-abandoned nightclub in the hills overlooking Javea, Spain, watching a whole lineup of boutique bands I had never heard of.  The Gentleman's Agreements, Las Munjitas Del Fuzz, Tito Ramirez, and more.  It was late, maybe 1:00am, when a skinny kid took the stage with his band mates, swung a Rickenbacker around his neck that looked almost as big as he was, and launched into categorically the most scintillating cover I have ever heard of "(Ain't Nothin' But A) House Party" by The Showstoppers.  Already amped up by this point, the crowd of a few hundred people went bananas, pouring onto the dance floor and crowding the stage, bouncing and screaming and singing...  it was a scene, man.



But lest you think Kay is simply a crowd pleasing cover artist, he isn't.  And listing all the things he isn't is fairly easy.  Explaining what he IS, exactly, is a little trickier.  Ian Kay doesn't fit neatly into descriptions or genres.  His music doesn't slot nicely into categories.  A prolific songwriter and relentless performer, his albums are typically recorded in historic studios on analog tape, and the tracks blend fuzzy 1960's beat, soaring 1970's rock n' roll, a healthy dollop of punk rock rebellion, and even 1990's indie vibes, shaken well and tossed out for your enjoyment in a cavalcade of boundless energy.  There are retro, throwback riffs, sure, but Kay is never enslaved by them, and one of the best things about his music is how flatly unpredictable it can be.  But although it can go in different directions, it's always... fun.

Kay is fun.

He's also a pure musician, and on his first solo album he recorded every instrument himself.  He's a great guitarist, a dynamic bass player, a fantastic drummer, and a front man/vocalist with big-time charisma and charm.  Above all, he seems to genuinely love the music, and it comes through in every chord, note and word.  After that first show at the Pinup Festival, he came off stage after his set, soaked in sweat, and walked to the bar where we were standing.  My buddy asked him: "What kind of guitar is that you were playing?"  Kay's (genuinely confused) response?  "Wow... I have no idea."

He doesn't care.  One gets the impression, as one does from a purist like Jack White, that Kay would happily play a hand-me-down garage sale guitar with as much gusto as anything else.  Maybe even more gusto.  I subsequently travelled to see him at a different festival and it turned out he wasn't playing the stage - he was DJ'ing at a back bar - and he had a packed room of dancing fanatics going wild to spinning vinyl.  He's a pure musician.  Pure passion.  Pure talent.



If you get a chance, check him out.  He's on Spotify as Ian Kay, on the web at www.iankayofficial.com, and on Instagram here.