Banquet Darling is the musical brainchild of Newcastle-based artist Todd Kilby, whose route to songwriting has been anything but ordinary. After years of travelling the world as a circus acrobat, musician and director, Kilby turned his attention fully toward music, writing songs everywhere from Paris to Hong Kong and from buses to theatres and planes. Following the cult response to 2021’s Dreamlove Obscura, the forthcoming sophomore album NOW pushes that theatrical spirit into a colorful collision of pop, indie rock, punk, psychedelia and groove-heavy rhythms.
“Morning Sun” gets things moving with heavy, deep bass and thumping beats, immediately giving the album a sturdy pulse. Over it, Kilby’s husky yet light voice bounces through the arrangement with catchy phrasing, vibrance and an almost weightless sense of fun. It feels like the musical equivalent of throwing open the curtains and letting the day rush in.
Later, “Last Duet” slows the pace down. Its steady beat and relaxing musical bed allow Kilby to sing with an easy, soothing delivery, but the calm does not last forever. The bass eventually sinks deeper, the instrumentation becomes more vibrant and his voice rises into a soaring passage. That shift gives the track a satisfying emotional lift without abandoning its gentler character.
Then comes “On the Road,” where Banquet Darling really lets the theatrical side loose. Extravagant horns pump and blast alongside a bustling, lively rhythm section, while Kilby throws himself into the performance with feisty, zesty exuberance. It is playful, energetic and seriously catchy.
Across NOW, that willingness to swing between moods mirrors its central fascination with immediacy: the past, future and present all collapsing into the same moment.
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Review by: Naomi Joan