Whether you know her through her 2019 world-shocking publicity stunt with her fake Harry Styles face tattoo or her 2023 U.S. tour supporting international rock royalty Billy Idol, you probably know at least one thing about Kelsy Karter — or maybe you just haven’t heard of her yet. Either way, she is the voice of rock ‘n’ roll to come. And her tour stop at Seattle’s Funhouse on March 1 with her band, Kelsy Karter & The Heroines, proved just that.
Funhouse, if you’re not from Seattle or familiar with its pivotal location in music history, is attached to El Corazon. The venue was once called The Off Ramp and hosted some of the first performances of many of Seattle’s grunge-era icons, including Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Mudhoney. This left-in-the-’90s grunge-metal bar is one mirror on the ceiling away from being straight out of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — or any other bar lit by repurposed traffic lights with demon masks on the wall that you’d find mentioned in a Hunter S. Thompson novel.
The band took the stage in classic club fashion — walking straight through the packed crowd — and wasted no time. With Matthew Peach on guitar, Sebastian Boyse on drums, and Tommy Gent on bass, they launched into an instrumental power pop jam that soundtracked Kelsy Karter’s entrance. From the moment she took the stage, the crowd — and the room — was fully electric for the next hour and 10 minutes. This band does not skip a beat, and they take no days off. Shortly after her entrance, Kelsy professed to the crowd, “I’ve got to be honest with you all, I’ve had my head in a bucket all day, and I couldn’t feel more sick. But we don’t cancel shows, so I’m going to give you all that I’ve got.”
From songs off their brand-new album, Love Made Me Do It, such as “Hotel Flamingo” and “Laser to the Heart,” to some of Kelsy’s previous releases, including “God Knows I’ve Tried to Be Good”, and an electric reimagination of her track “Harry,” the setlist kept fans engaged. But, any good rock star knows it’s all about dynamics and emotion. Halfway through the set, the rhythm section took a quick exit stage left and faded into the back of the crowd to watch their bandmates, Karter and Peach, perform several stripped-down songs, including her newest super-ballad, “Superdream,” off the band’s new album.
Immediately after their dreamy crooning, the rhythm section reappeared (through the crowd), and the band launched straight into a cover of Aerosmith’s “Cryin.” If you don’t remember the aforementioned comment about Kelsy’s voice — she shines unlike any other vocalist, delivering on every note with raw emotion, wearing her heart on her sleeve.
The band earned a thunderous applause for their performance of the original track “Wild” and closed out the set with “Liquor Store on Mars.” Regardless of whether the track was released last week or six years ago, the crowd seemed to know every word.
Kelsy Karter & The Heroines will wrap up their U.S. tour in support of Love Made Me Do It March 6th at The Roxy on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood with support from Adam Slack (The Struts), and Frankie and The Studs. Shortly after, they will start a European leg of the Lightning In a Bottle World Tour in Cologne, Germany, on April 5th.
GALLERY: Kelsy Karter & The Heroines at Funhouse in Seattle, Washington (March 1, 2025)
