Throwback: King Princess

We all have that one friend that is quirky, cool af, and all-around badass. Add a killer voice, talented band and captivating stage presence and you have King Princess.

Performing to a sold out show at The Vogue Theatre on Thursday April 25th, 2019, King Princess treated the audience to a mix of tracks off their upcoming album and familiar classics that got the crowd bumpin’.

We arrived to the venue as the opening act finished up, leaving just enough time to find a decent spot to stand among the excited fans. Barely time to grab a drink, the lights dimmed and the crowd goes crazy. King Princess walks out casually in a simple white tee and slacks, following her band – a guitarist, bassist, drummer and keyboardist, the most hipster-cool band I’ve seen.

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, King Princess (aka Mikaela Straus) has a soulful voice far surpassing her 20 years of age. Opening with ‘Cheap Queen’, Michaela had us all captivated right off the bat; calm, cool and collected as she playfully teases the audience with her coy smile. Shifting gears to the rock-and-roll vibes of ‘Upper West Side,’ she grabs her guitar and rocks out, crowd still singing along. A casual chat at the end of this song revealed that their second album is close to being completed. In a bold, surprising power move, they launch into the third song, a fan-fave and arguably their most loved song to date, ‘1950’. What a power move. This tune is my personal fave as well, so I was stoked they were playing it so soon. Mikaela is a quirky character, gliding across the stage with sassy little dance moves and taking a drag of her vape as she gets ready to hit the next tune.

After a new song I don’t know the name of, they come out with ‘Pussy is God’ someone in front of me proudly waves a paper sign that says “TOP ME”. Bras are waving in the air, the mood is light and everyone is having fun. Before beginning almost every song, Mikaela playfully says ‘Give it to me Mr. Antoine,” her guitarist who passionately strums away. A special guest, Banoffee (the opening act), pops out on stage midway through ‘Forget About It’. The chemistry on stage was electric and wildly fun. At one point, Mikaela reaches down to the audience, receiving a sex toy from a fan. She laughed deeply and set it down gently on stage.

After performing ‘Talia’, they all exit the stage, but not before a guitarist grabs a film camera and snaps a pic of the crowd. Such a simple move but so damn cool, just like King Princess.

After chanting ‘encore’, stomping their feet and clapping their hands, the audience managed to coax King Princess out for a couple more tunes. The lighters come out for the second last song which brought out all the feels, followed by a sultry, rock and roll tune ‘Ohio’. The spotlight was a glowing, smoky halo around Mikaela, making the moment dramatic and sincere. With a quick wave and drag of her vape, Mikaela exits the stage. The crowd disperses slowly, letting the performance we all just watched sink it. Damn, that was a good show.

9.87/10