In the perpetually male-dominated world of rock and roll, it seems that women are often relegated to the land of pop, no matter what genre dominates their sound. With two hip-hop infused, alternative albums under her belt, Kristine Flaherty, AKA K.Flay, is breaking through all barriers and charting new territory to redefine what it means to be a rock superstar.
Throughout Piqniq, WKQX’s on-air personalities, including Marconi, Kevin and everyone’s favorite Lockout lady, Lauren O’Neil (below), made announcements, thanked sponsors and encouraged fans not to drink and drive. K.Flay shared a similar sober sentiment before breaking into “High Enough,” saying, “Sometimes it’s fun to have a beer and sometimes you don’t even need it. This song is about those times.” Elsewhere in her early afternoon set, she dedicated “Can’t Sleep” to her mom before closing things out with her addictive, industrial, 2016 mega-hit, “Blood in the Cut.”
K.Flay’s sound is almost undefinable as she wields her perfectly-raspy flow into an all-encompassing swirl of rock complete with noisy guitars and heavy-hitting drums. Along with the occasional mosh pit, one of the side effects of her soul-penetrative songs is the sudden need to find a sturdy pair of shoulders to lift you up further into the infectious atmosphere. As her set went on, more and more fans popped up over the crowd to better connect with the rising star that is K.Flay.
K.Flay has plans to tour throughout the summer and she will be back here in Chicago on Oct. 18 opening up for Imagine Dragons and Grouplove at the United Center. Visit Kflay.com for the latest news and to pick-up tickets to see her live.