Review | Rainbow Kitten Surprise Delivers a Dynamic Santa Barbara Bowl Performance

Rainbow Kitten Surprise invited audiences into what felt like their very own set rather than a stage on Sunday night. The six band members dotted the floor in a half moon pattern around lead singer Ela Melo, a placement which reminded me of an Ed Sullivan Show performance.  

The Santa Barbara Bowl was just one stop along the way of their bones North American Tour: nine months, 53 shows, and two festivals ranging from coast to coast. Previously in 2023, the band abruptly called off their world tour due to a mental health emergency involving Melo. They went on their Love Hate Music Box tour in 2024-25, and now are back and stronger than ever.  

They opened the show with “Our Song,” the energetic Melo dancing on the beat, with her platinum bombshell blonde hair glowing in the spotlight. “Hide” was second up, the vertical light bars lining the stage bouncing along like meters on a soundboard as drummer Jess Haney and guitarist Ethan Goodpaster set the tempo. 

The effortless cool of bassist Maddie Bouton was on full display while Music Director Drew Long played the keys and guitar, lights kaleidoscoping across the stage and reaching out to the audience.   

Throughout the show, Melo riffed off of rhythm guitarist and vocalist Darrick Keller, better known by his nickname Bozzy. The pair harmonized with each other, looking like best friends singing karaoke together at a slumber party, or in a dorm room at Appalachian State University.

The original five bandmates – Melo, Keller, Goodpaster, Haney, and former bassist Charlie Holt — formed Rainbow Kitten Surprise after meeting as freshmen in the dorms of App State in North Carolina. Keller and Melo started out as a duo, playing at open mics in their Student Union coffee shop, before expanding to a five piece band. 

Their first EP Mary  – which consisted of four songs: “All That And More,” “Hey Pretty Momma,” “Black and White,” and “That’s My Shit” — was released from that very dorm hall in 2013. 

Their longtime closeness as a group was on display when about halfway through the show, the band members left their marks and lined up behind the mic, The Mamas & The Papas style, performing hits like “Black and White,” “Bare Bones,” and “First Class” with acoustic guitar and a folksy rhythm.

“I know you know this one,” Melo said. “You better fucking dance,” before launching into a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” People listened, and the Bowl was dancing all the way from the Pit to the top. Keeping the energy high, the band closed out their main set with a grungy rock n’ roll version of “Run.”

As the night came to an end, the encore ensued. Running back on stage, Melo donned a long robe with beaded florals to perform a vibey version of “Tropics,” a perfect mood match for a hot summer night at the Bowl. They closed out with “Its Called: Freefall,” a song which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart after it aired on an episode of Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia in 2025.  

The whole night, the audience was captivated by the melancholic clarity of Melo’s voice, the twang of the banjo, the syncopated rhythms of guitar and drums. That stage was theirs.