Lia Kali delivers a performance as lived-in as it is electrifying.
There are gigs that feel like a good night out, and then there are nights that remind you why live music matters in the first place. This year’s La Linea Festival, notably shaped by a lineup that is 90% female, leans firmly into its mission of building bridges across London through Latin music, and this particular show at Village Underground felt like a perfect distillation of that ethos. Tucked in a renovated warehouse in Shoreditch, the venue has that raw industrial intimacy London does so well with exposed brick, low arches and a sense that the music reverberates through the structure itself.
Opening the night, Sophie Castillo stepped out in a fairycore look: dark burgundy lace, a matching skirt and top, silver jewellery catching the light, finished with chunky black boots, fitting her soft, self-assured and sensual sound. A London-born artist with Colombian and Cuban roots, she moved easily between Spanish and English, with songs like Diosa and Ojos Lindos sitting naturally alongside Aquarius Moon. Her set floated through different Latin influences with hints of salsa and bachata in Call Me By Your Name, touches of reggaeton, and newer tracks that leaned more into an indie, dreamier feel. She drew attention in, slowly tightening her grip on the room until the crowd was moving with her, caught in the intimacy of it all.
By the time Lia Kali took the stage, anticipation had tipped into something closer to devotion. Dressed in all black, hair pulled into a tight bun, oversized hoops, long nails and tiny dark sunglasses, she carried an effortless, almost untouchable cool. But it’s the authenticity beneath that image that holds everything together. From the first moment, it was clear this wouldn’t be a passive set; it felt participatory, something shared between her and the room.
Backed by a full live band – keys, bass, drums, and layered percussion – she reshaped her songs with a depth that pulled from soul and jazz while keeping her urban edge. There was a clear sense of intention in how the musicians supported and enriched the world around her, creating space for Kali to remain the undeniable focal point.
What really defines her live presence is her range. She moves effortlessly between rap and expansive, full-bodied vocals that feel almost cathartic in their release. Every track lands like an anthem in the way each one carries emotional weight that the audience clearly recognises and returns. There’s a constant thread of resilience, of lived experience being transformed into something collective.
Visually, the show shifts with her sound. At times, the lighting veers into something stark and electronic of cool tones, flashes that echo the darker, more experimental edges of her music before softening again into warmer, more soulful moments.
And then there are the moments that break the boundary entirely. Near the end, she pulls out a pack of Marlboros, lights one mid-stage and continues the set singing between drags, unbothered and completely in control. In a venue that already feels like a club, it somehow pushes things further into that late-night, slightly surreal intimacy.
Later, she sits at the very edge of the stage, almost in the crowd, collapsing the distance between artist and audience entirely. By that point, the connection is undeniable, people aren’t just watching, they’re with her in it. Closing with Renescar she leaves the room suspended somewhere between release and afterglow much like a shared exhale.
What makes the night linger isn’t just the quality of the performances, though both artists delivered in completely distinct and compelling ways, but how aligned it all felt with La Linea’s wider vision. Different backgrounds, different sounds, different stages of their careers, all meeting in one space and speaking to each other through music. And at the centre of it, Lia Kali, delivered one of the most memorable performances in recent memory.
La Linea Festival runs until Wednesday 6th May across various venues in London. Tickets available here.