On Tuesday, April 28, alt-pop singer Sarah Kinsley took to Brooklyn Steel for her final night on the North American leg of The Fleeting Tour. For a mid-week show, the industrial venue was filled with fans ready to be captivated by Kinsley’s whimsical charm.
Charlie Burg opened the night with music from his newest album Back to Earth. Between his bubbly personality and charismatic stage presence, Burg made the most of his short set. His high energy alt-rock performance of The Police’s “Message in a Bottle” left many of Kinsley’s fans finding a new artist to add to their playlists.
Sarah Kinsley expertly blends the instrumentation of classical music with the vocal tone of modern alternative-pop. Attending Columbia University to study music, Kinsley moved to New York City and began producing her own EPs. In 2021, she released her EP The King, which landed her a spot on NME’s Top 100 2022 Emerging Artists. Four years post-grad, Kinsley has opened for Mitski (2024) and Niki (2025), released three other EPs and her debut album Escaper. Now, Kinsley is touring the world to celebrate the release of her 2025 EP Fleeting.
Silhouetted under blues, Kinsley danced onto stage to “Truth of Pursuit.” A vision in a flowing mesh dress and knee-high boots, Kinsley’s arrival instantly set a spark in the New York crowd. Dreamy, soft vocals complimented a synth backing track and the accompanying bass drum beat. She’s an enchanting image to watch. Self-confident and lost in her own music, the singer-songwriter easily transfers her emotions to the crowd through her personal lyrics and body movement.
During an unexpected pause in the set due to technical difficulties, Kinsley took the time to explain how much ending the North American run of tour in New York means to her. “This venue is my favorite venue in New York,” the singer stated. “I’ve been on a lot of bad dates here, and a lot of good ones, too.” She described how her first New York friend date was at Brooklyn Steel with her now-guitarist, Dea. “We were both stood up, we both had bought Mac Ayres tickets and were going to sell them.” Deciding against it, they ended up going together. Taking the train an hour and a half to Brooklyn, Kinsley recalled them having the best conversation. “That was seven years ago,” the singer stated, smiling at her dear friend and bandmate.
Gravitating between center stage and her keyboard with ease, Kinsley confidently navigated the setlist even after the malfunctions. “I’m Not A Mountain” showed a wonderful display of her vocal range and her classical piano background. Illuminated under a golden spotlight, Kinsley shined bright as she sang the introspective tune.
Kinsley develops even more rawness in her songs and live performances through usage of a DIY contact microphone. Picking up extra vocal tones and throat vibrations, she runs the contact mic through production softwares and pedals to create imaginative, dream-like textures to her songs. Her experimental approach to music production is incredibly refreshing, and watching her decision-making in real time adds even more allure to her set. With her whimsical showmanship and multi-instrumentalist approach on full display, Sarah Kinsley is a joy to watch on stage.
Raised between Connecticut and Singapore, Kinsley referred to the New York City tour stop as her hometown show. The place where she crafted her music career, NYC was the perfect final show for this leg of The Fleeting Tour and to share an exciting announcement. Playing the same songs over the five-week long U.S. run granted Kinsley weeks to play the entirety of the Fleeting EP on her upright piano. She decided to record them and release them as a new version, the Fleeting EP (Piano Versions), which will be available on all music streaming platforms May 15.
The Fleeting Tour continues in Europe on May 20 in Dublin, Ireland and then across the United Kingdom in late May.
Setlist: Truth of Pursuit, Lovegod, Glint, I’m Not a Mountain (switched due to technical difficulties), Realms, Sublime, Karma, The Giver, After All, Reverie, Black Horse, Lonely Touch, Knights, Oh No Darling!, The King, Fleeting
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