Maybe once or twice a year, I show up to a venue and I'm shocked by how many people are already packed inside -- before any of the artists have hit the stage. (To clarify, I'm talking about it being totally unanticipated on my part versus showing up to a venue that is packed early because the artist is a known draw.) That happened on a recent WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. I showed up and the place was filled with polite, and yet, eager tweens with their parents in tow. I was totally taken aback. What showcase artist is bringing out all these tweens? I started to think through the artists playing and I had to settle on Kyra Fields. This was my third time at a WFNM showcase where Kyra Fields was playing a set. I could not recall seeing so many young people hanging out with eager anticipation during the prior two shows. This had me thinking: I'm catching a breakout moment.
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| Kyra Fields at Hotel Ziggy |
Much like her cover of Clairo's "Sofia," Kyra Fields' music has a soft bedroom pop sound. She opened up her set with "cherry tree" that is as tasty as the fruit with perfectly blended moments of vocals and music. The crowd screamed as the end, which got her saying, "I'm shaking." I do believe she was taken aback by how many people were in the audience. Her song "morbid curiosity" was for her slightly older fan base, which is about stalking your ex. "But I've been up all night. Looking at her. Thinking bout you. Wondering how I'm your type. But looking at her. Don't know what's true."
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| Kyra Fields at Hotel Ziggy |
During the set, one could easily understand how she's grown her audience since I last saw her in April 2024. She has such an outgoing personality. During a break between songs, she noticed how a couple young people had their phones out and were livestreaming the set for friends. She went over to say hello to the people on the other side of the video stream. One person was out in Arizona and had pickles in the frame, which is an apparent inside joke. With every cheer from the crowd, she'd respond with the leaps of joy. One also has to appreciate her G-rated responses to everything, which must endear her to more conservative parents. When introducing an unreleased song, she said, "I'm pulling this out of my pocket." We all know what more PG-13 word could replace pocket.
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| Kyra Fields at Hotel Ziggy |
A handful of parents also got into the action by giving their daughters shoutouts. One wanted to mention that her daughter was too shy to say hello and so she was just out there to embarrass her. Another parent mentioned that it was her daughter's birthday and they had flown in from Florida. Kyra Fields took a moment to have everyone sing "Happy Birthday." (I always find it fascinating how people will fly into Los Angeles to catch relatively small bands. Yeah, I totally get flying in to see a Taylor Swift. I still remember someone flying in from Ohio to catch Delta Spirit at the Lodge Room. I will occasionally amuse myself by thinking how I should fly into London to catch a Los Angeles band, but I've never done it. Sometimes, I've got to say, I'm jealous of people who actually do it.)
When it came to the final song of the set "can i hear it again?," she got everyone up front to sit on the venue floor. She also took a seat, creating an intimate moment where a sea of arms waved back and forth during the song. She got the crowd to sing along and when the song ended she made heart signs with many of those upfront.
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| Kyra Fields at Hotel Ziggy |
Her set might have ended, but that didn't end her love affair with the fanbase. Leading her fans like a beloved summer camp counselor, she took them off to the hotel's lounge area where she spent a full hour taking polaroid photos with everyone in line. Yes, it was a full hour as two other artists played their sets during it all.
Setlist: cherry tree, morbid curiosity, an unreleased song, Sofia (Clairo cover), Blankets, can i hear it again?.
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