Kinkajous paint with synths on a sonic canvas at King’s Place

On a truly miserable November night, electro-jazz quintet Kinkajous beckoned the crowd into London’s King’s Place with the promise of a shimmering soundscape embrace. And that’s what the crowd got: the lush swelling strings of their latest album ‘Being Waves’, the swooping, furrowing saxophone, the array of glitchy electronica sounds, an overall air of introspective mystery.

In the band’s co-leader, Benoît Parmentier, they have an exquisite drummer, all bustling activity and intricate, pulsating rhythms. But, as implied by the tangle of wires next to him, he’s also more than a little interested in electronic music production. There’s little talking between songs, but when there is, it’s Parmentier who takes the mic to explain that as they “have so much technology” on stage, it can take a moment to get all the knobs and pads dialled in for the next tune.

And it’s true about the technology. Three players – Parmentier, pianist Maria Chiara Argirò, and synth specialist Jack Doherty – have synths onstage, meaning it’s sometimes hard to ascertain who is producing the latest splash of sonic colour thrown onto the collective canvas. Not that it matters when the overall sound is so cohesive, underpinned by Andres Castellanos on bass. Adrien Cau’s saxophone floats above the synthesis, producing enigmatic melodies while also digitally shaping the sounds with a pedalboard. With such a kaleidoscope of electronic sound, Argirò’s rippling Steinway chords can feel like a surprise when they cut through.

Playing tunes both old and new, this is a group that knows the sound they do best, and they stick to it. As a result, the set sometimes has the feeling of remaining more or less in the same gear. That said, it’s a great gear to be in. The final tune before the encore, ‘Those Real’, also closes their album. It’s a gorgeous song to finish, from the cinematic opening swells through the saxophone-and-synth harmonies of the middle section, to a crescendo finish which suddenly cuts and plunges the stage in darkness. This is a band that appears to be improving with every new release, and one whose explorations of sonic territory within jazz is definitely worth seeing live.