Photos and Article by Lara Ziccardi
Few bands balance vulnerability and explosive energy quite like Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Formed in North Carolina and led by vocalist Ela Melo, the group has gained a devoted fanbase for its genre-bending mix of indie rock, folk, and hip-hop influences. Since the success of How to: Friend, Love, Freefall, their emotionally raw songwriting has translated especially powerfully on stage.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise is currently on the Bones Tour with opening guest Common People. They made a stop at Montclair’s own Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ. Co-founder, photographer, and writer here at Punk Pulse, Lara Ziccardi, headed into her college town to catch the show.
I first heard of Rainbow Kitten Surprise while interning at SiriusXM, when someone from their record label came in to play upcoming releases for the spring—and one of those bands was them. The song? “Superstar.” I still can’t believe that happened on my first day. And of course, shoutout to Alt Nation on SiriusXM!
When I first got into them back in 2024, I was listening to their most recent release at the time, Love Hate Music Box. I was immediately captivated by “Superstar” and couldn’t wait for the full album to drop. I love an alternative band with charm, and that’s exactly what Love Hate Music Box delivered.
Their most recent album, Bones, embodies another cathartic, emotional alt-rock journey—and it’s one I wish I got into sooner.
One thing I didn’t realize about their 2018 and earlier music is how much it leans into indie-folk. I went back and gave those earlier tracks a listen and honestly, I wasn’t expecting the folkiness! I can already hear you saying, “Lara, that’s literally what they’re known for—how didn’t you know?” Yes, yes, I’m aware—but at my core, I’m an alternative girlie! Can you blame me? I guess it just never crossed my radar.
For the show, the Wellmont was packed—from general admission all the way up to the balcony seats. It was so nice seeing the venue absolutely full.
The first three songs of the set were “Hell Nah,” “Our Song,” and “Hide”—a great mix from across their discography. For these, I was locked in shooting from the photo pit. I also got to share the pit with a very dear friend of mine, Emily McCormack, who I went to college with. It was such an honor to finally shoot alongside her—go check out her work at @mccormack.mp4!
Some early standouts in the set included “Dang,” “Friendly Fire,” “Painkillers,” and “Cocaine Jesus.”
Towards the end of the set, the band stripped away their plugged instruments and transitioned into an acoustic section for three songs: “Texas Hold’em,” “Hey Pretty Momma,” and “First Class.” It was really cool to see a full-band unplugged moment like that. It reminded me of when I photographed OK Go and they performed hand chimes for “Shooting the Moon.” If you’d like to check out that show, click here to see photos and read more about it! I love when bands switch things up—it adds so much variety to the set.
After the acoustic set, they played my personal favorite RKS song, “Superstar.” I was a little surprised they didn’t include more from Love Hate Music Box, but since it’s the Bones Tour, it makes sense. Hearing it live was a full-circle moment for me—it brought me right back to the first time I heard it. I also loved hearing “Bones” and “Wasted” live following “Superstar.”
One of the most magical moments of the night came during the encore, with the final song, “It’s Called: Freefall.” Hearing the entire crowd sing along was incredible—the energy in the room was through the roof.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise delivers a strong stage presence, incredible live vocals and instrumentals, and a die-hard fanbase to match. For fans of alternative, indie, folk, and everything in between, they are absolutely worth seeing live. They put on an incredible performance at a packed Wellmont Theater—you can truly feel how much love they pour into their music, and it was amazing to see so many fans come out.
To view and listen to the entire setlist, please check out the Spotify playlist at the bottom of this article!
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