When I last saw Rainbow Kitten Surprise, it was 2022 and they were playing Red Rocks Amphitheatre beneath a full moon.
During the encore, Ela Melo, the band’s frontwoman, delivered her usual poetic musings to the swaying crowd packed into bleachers between the rocks.
"It's like ... I just don't want this night to end," she said, and was met by a wave of agreeing cheers.
But the true weight of her words was already settling. Within hours, the band canceled the rest of their tour, which included a scheduled performance at Hinterland Music Festival.
The North Carolina-born band had hoped to hit the ground running again that year, eager to reconnect with fans after their pandemic-induced hiatus. But the day after the show, in a notes app statement, they shared that “the toll of life on the road has finally reached its breaking point.” Melo has since shared that later that year she came close to walking away from music altogether.
Then came a turning point. In May 2023, Melo was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. With treatment underway and a new understanding of herself, Melo returned to songwriting — daily. One year later, the band released Love Hate Music Box, a sprawling, 22-track album that reflects on Melo's hardships over the six years since their last full-length release. Love Hate Music Box radiates with both clarity and complexity, and, above all, newfound joy.
Over the past few years, Rainbow Kitten Surprise has experienced a full evolution. Melo came out as trans on March 30, 2022, reintroducing herself alongside the rest of the band. In 2024, they parted ways with bassist Charlie Holt.
“Transitioning really brought out a lot of joy for me,” Melo told Studio One host Cece Mitchell ahead of the May 16 performance at Vibrant Music Hall. “I never really experienced joy — love — in the way that I do now, and I think that that sank into the music as well. I think that you can see that from the stage."
But this latest chapter doesn’t just feel like a comeback for the 12-year-old band. It feels like a rebirth.
On May 16, Melo stepped out in a shimmering floral mini dress and a shock of blonde hair held back by a headband, twirling around the stage in a pair of high-top white sneakers that have become one of her signature looks. The band launched into a set that felt celebratory and full of life. They delivered crowd favorites: "Cocaine Jesus," "First Class" and "It’s Called: Freefall" with the same intensity as ever, while tastefully peppering in unreleased tracks from their upcoming album and some of the strongest cuts from Love Hate Music Box: "SVO," "Hot Pink Ice Cube," "Meticulous" and "Thanks for Coming."
Behind them, the RKS logo pulsed like a heartbeat, just as it did back in 2022, just as it always has. For me, it served as a reminder that even in this new era, with its evolving sound and story, Rainbow Kitten Surprise is still the band we've always known — only now, more true to themselves than ever.
