Last Saturday, Chelsea’s Live received a visit from Baton Rouge-based band Karma and the Killjoys as they continued their tour throughout the Southeast. The band not only has roots in Baton Rouge, but also LSU, which is where the lead singers met. With such strong ties to the community, playing at a venue like Chealsea’s was a big deal.
The tour is a joint venture with rock artist Anastasia Elliot and Issy, a band also from Baton Rouge. It was a big night not just for the performers, but their fans, many of whom were family and friends. By the time Issy opened the show, Chelsea’s Live was abuzz with excitement.
Alexis Budyach is a long-time fan of Karma and the Killjoys, and they came with their friends and boyfriend. Budyach tries to go to every concert, even driving to Lake Charles to see the band perform. Their favorite Karma and the Killjoys song is “Higher,” and they mentioned that the band’s first album, “Hellscape,” is in their top five favorite albums of all time.
“I love Karma. They’re always amazing. They never fail to deliver,” said Budyach’s boyfriend, Aeneas Lemon, who is also a big fan. His favorite song is “Fuzzy Socks,” which was the band’s most popular song until it was recently surpassed by their newest song.
Part of the charm of Karma and the Killjoys for Budyach is their stage presence and theatrical nature. The singers of the band, Rain Scott-Catoire and Sydni Myers, were both a part of the LSU School of Theatre.
The great music and theatrics were present all night. Some fans dressed up to match the theme of recent songs, and others wore outfits inspired by different music videos. Anastasia Elliot, the other headliner, came out before Karma, channeling what could be described as a Gothic, witchy rock in her lacy two-piece set and vibrant purple hair. The audience was immediately obsessed with the Nashville-based artist.
Eventually, the moment the entire audience was waiting for came. Karma and the Killjoys finally walked on stage and played to their heart’s content. Fans got to hear some of Karma’s greatest hits, including “St. Pete’s,” “Mechanical Hands” and “Stay My Fangs.”
The audience was electric. People danced, sang along and rocked out with the band. Certain songs had fan favorite quotes or moments fans new to clap or stomp along to. Budyach mentioned that this tradition is one of their favorite parts about Karma and the Killjoys’ concerts.
During the concert, lead singer Scott-Catoire introduced the band’s new song, “This Song Was Stolen By Pirates,” and thanked the fans for their support, mentioning the virality that has come from the song’s release.
“We’re still in shock, and it’s really cool,” Scott-Catoire said.
After the show, Scott-Catoire had a line of people waiting to talk to her.
“I’m so grateful to every time we walk out on the stage in Baton Rouge,” Scott-Catoire said. “I genuinely can’t believe that there are that many people in the audience.”
Scott-Catoire recounted her first memory of hearing an audience sing along with their songs. Near the end of a concert, she will often stop singing just to listen to the audience.
“It’s like a rush of dopamine,” she said. “It’s literally amazing.”
So far, Karma and the Killjoys have only done small tours that are easier to manage, but there are still swaths of work and planning that goes into pulling something like this off. Scott-Catoire expressed the respect and admiration she has for artists that tour constantly.
For Scott-Catoire and the rest of the band, the virality of their new song is still setting in. Scott-Catoire said that for years, they have tried to go viral on TikTok, but it was a transition video featuring the singers in normal clothes to them in the music video that did the trick.
“Somehow, [the video] stuck, and instantly our streams started going up and up,” said Scott-Catoire. “It’s been really scary knowing that that many eyes are on me and my song.”
Less than a month since its release, Karma and the Killjoys’ “This Song Was Stolen By Pirates” has already been streamed over 120,000 times, double the amount of streams their second most popular song got.
“I really just want to keep doing exactly what we’re doing. I want to kind of broaden our horizons, go on bigger tours, and I want to see crowds like this in more cities, which I think will cultivate along the way,”said Scott-Catoire. “I honestly just want to keep making music in my house with my friends.”
