#cfxu

Holy Fuck I am still struggling to swallow the idea that I stood looking directly into the indescribably creative soul of Brian Borcherdt as he fiddled with a table full of gadgets. I am pretty sure at one point in the show a drop of his sweat landed on my arm; I have never felt so honored (and slightly disgusted at the same time); baptized by Holy Fuck. There are literally no words to describe what happened in front of me on Thursday, October 20th. Front row to what I can easily consider my favorite Canadian band.  I would of been simply delighted to go home after watching their 30-minute long set up. But they are so much more than just another experimental electronica group tapping the keys of their keyboard; this facet of Halifax Pop Explosion was more than I ever could have imagined.

For starters, the venue was perfect. Reflections Cabaret proved to be a bit of a tight squeeze but the fans made it work. Those who were too drunk to stand stationary were found located at the back of the dance floor flailing in an intoxicated trance. My friends and I were found relishing in the musical glory and were too consumed by the beat to move a muscle. I stood still soaking in every vibration that seeped out of the speakers. It was a size that allowed for the group to connect and truly ride the vibes of their audience as we got to ride their rhythmic thumping and throbbing.

Their stage presence and energy was incomparable. At one point, Borcherdt was singing holding the microphone BETWEEN his lips, jumping up and down and would smash some buttons here and there on his display. When something went wrong (and boy were they tested) they all communicated to draw the song out to give them some time. At one point, they lost a connection in one of their patch cords and they worked together to find an impromptu solution. The way they communicated and listened to each other was simply brilliant and showed that the four of them were more than a band. You could feel their energies unite in the room and you could hear their passion dripping off of every note. All of the other groups we saw during Halifax Pop Explosion were performances, this was a show.

This was the bass-blows-your-pant-leg kind of show. The kind of show you walk away from with aching ears but consoled with a smile that stretches from ear-to-ear. The kind where you can feel the crowds anticipation tighten in your skin as the minutes tick down until showtime. Their music does nothing less that shake the soul, grips your innards and gives it a flick.

The only thing I have to say about this group is “Holy Fuck!”

‘Tom Tom’ Live on KEXP : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Rgs3LqZ6M

“I see you down there, got no time to be shy”,

I looked up at Lady Wray, a diva by any standard. She was surrounded by her music, facing us, most of whom were there to catch a later act. But she just wanted to make everyone feel good regardless of who they were here to see.

“I can dig it”,

Then I realized she was talking directly to me. I guess I hadn’t noticed that the music had me grooving. Usually I just let myself dance but I have often observed a battle in my mind that I am usually hardly even aware of, one that I think most people can relate to. While at a show there is often a struggle to decide how much you want to stand out in the crowd and Lady Wray wanted everyone to stand out as much as possible.

Good vibes beget better ones and I could tell from the smile on Lady Wray’s face and her goofy leopard ears that she only wanted to ramp up the fun as much as possible. Her newest album “Queen Alone” was released this past September and was the source of most of the material for this show. The album explores the ups and downs of entering in and out of the spotlight over the last 18 years. She has featured on tracks with Kid Cudi and The Black Keys. Her raw R&B centered music comes from a church upbringing and her relatable lyrics stem from experience with both fame and normal life. Her story and her music made me think of background singers who have also experienced both a fair share of fame and lack thereof such as Darlene Love, Merry Clayton and Lisa Fischer. The life of a musician is tough because expectations are always set high and the response is often hard to pin down. Lady Wray got me dancing however and I hope to see her strong vocal performance carry her to even greater levels of fame and musicianship.

Lady Wray’s gospel inspired pop blaring from the stacks of festival speakers eventually came to an end but we were left stunned and excited for more music. Another group of seasoned musicians emerged next. CFXU was generally hyped for this act. We had received Daniel Caesar’s album at the radio station two months earlier and were intrigued because of a BadBadNotGood feature on the track listing. Mr. Caesar did not disappoint. He quietly approached the front of the stage with his beady hair like Lil Yachty adorned in a BadBadNotGood t-shirt. With a voice like Frank Ocean and a tight band playing quietly behind him the feels emanating from the stage were somber and elegant. With a grand total of 2 guitars, bass, drums and keyboards the waves of music that rippled off the stage sounded like a lonely walk in the city at night (or more accurately a walk through Trinity Bellwoods park in Toronto). Daniel Caesar is definitely an upcoming Canadian force to be reckoned with and his music is a breath of fresh air that gears away from the vice grip that Drake has on the 6. His music is beautifully minimal and he can nail the falsettos when needed. At first it may have seemed that Daniel would have a hard time filling the space in the Halifax Forum but he got everyone swaying more and more with each song.

The crowd started to grow in numbers, as we got closer to the main act. Eventually Daniel Caesar gave a silent bow and made room for BadBadNotGood. This group of young jazz musicians, whose unique mix of hip-hop inspired jazz, has made it’s way into the music of notable acts such as Tyler the Creator, Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt and Ghostface Killah. The band now consists of 4 members as they have now permanently added their friend and brilliant saxophonist Leland Whitty to the lineup. The BadBadNotGood crew are talented, dorky and down-to-earth. Their music hit hard with songs like Confessions Part. II, which on record features the symphonic and slightly terrifying baritone saxophone of Colin Stetson. But Leland was able to pull the crowd in with an equal amount of tension growling through the amps with his tenor sax. The closest thing to a frontman was the drummer who was able to keep up a complicated beat while belting out to the audience with the goal to get everyone hopping and clapping. I never thought I could mosh or headbang to jazz music but I suppose that’s part of why BadBadNotGood is actually so good. Nothing much needs to be said about BadBadNotGood. By my standards (i.e. once you have roadies) these four talented musicians have “made it”. At the end of the show they all came off stage and chatted with some of us concert-goers who stuck around. By the end of this show we were completely exhausted but we had to stay awake for another two hours in order to stick it out for Holy Fuck who were billed to play the Reflections bar at 1:30am.