l i v e / p e r f o r m a n c e s

[ iniko @ fonda theatre, la - 16 september 2025 - tuesday ]

this concert went so far above my expectations, it's actually crazy. i went with my friend ember and we arrived nearly an hour earlier than doors. both of us were really excited especially as this is iniko's first tour!!! they're a relatively newly rising alternative artist with a lot of notable hits from their album 'awakening'. the venue that this concert was happening in was the FONDA THEATRE in downtown LA. the inside genuinely wowed me because it felt initmate but also roomy! as more people piled in by 8PM doors opening, myself and ember were getting really excited as the crowd seemed to be of a very diverse and lovely quality. it's always awesome to be amongst others that are openly themselves - openly queer, openly out, openly expressive and unafraid - i admire them a lot! iniko's music i think certainly draws in people who wish to express themselves unapologetically and passionately. their music and their discography as a whole echoes a melancholic, out-of-this-world soul.

there were two openers: BRYAN BREEDING and the group EVOLUTION TO THE REVOLUTION. bryan breeding showed off incredibly sensual vocal prowess, and the group evolution to the revolution consisted of strong voices coming together beautifully but also somehow standing out individually in their performances. the cohesiveness of the group along with their dancing and interactions with each other made their performance so enchanting.
once INIKO came on, there were some technical difficulties. the mic that they were given didn't work so there was a 10 minute pause to get all of the mics working again. the crowd did not let that buffer the excitement - everyone encouraged iniko and iniko even came forward and apologized to us. they were so gracious and cool... they're also so much shorter than i thought they'd be hahah!!! it was very cute. finally the mics were fixed and the headlining performance begun. oh man, nothing could have prepared me for the sheer power of their vocals along with the live drums and keys. iniko's strength is very much the raw power behind their vocals, and each song very much showcased that. my favorite song from their album 'awakening' - icarus - came on around the middle of their performance and i could not help myself from screaming out the lyrics. the people around myself and ember were equally as engaged and joyous. it felt so nice to be around folks who were not ashamed about the way music makes them feel. it is a very much welcome change to the cold, apathetic way so many people seem to be enjoying things. we can no longer yell out into the void passionately, we must be aloof. we must be sarcastic, distant, and overcalculating supposedly. thankfully, this crowd and this performance was very much FAR from that.

i was so emotional this whole time. i think raw vocal expressions like this will always hit me hard. iniko also writes on topics that are very relevant to me, like standing tall in your own identity and idea of self... it's very validating to me. so much now does it feel that we must conform to certain ideals propped up in society. it's suffocating, and bending to the wills of others becomes way too tiring and exhausting for a spirit that wishes to be free in every sense of the word. that's what i think about when it comes to iniko's music. it's a commentary on how they, and by extension the rest of us, must prop themselves up and know their value so that the expectations placed upon us by the greater society won't affect us. i can hear in their voice that singing is so tied to their being, and having the ability to be there and hear for myself such rawness... i won't be able to get it out of my mind for awhile haha. my friend ember even mentioned to me that they fully expect iniko to one day win a grammy. wah, i would love that for them very much as well.