To combat the fact that people still have to work, Tuesday and Wednesday’s schedules are thinner, the headliners are lesser known, and shows don’t usually run as late. Even on Thursday, Raekwon, Ghostface and BADBADNOTGOOD are only billed to end at 10:45. However, this enables all of the under 19s to get out and enjoy the show before it gets too late and it also forces the wristband holder to see lesser known bands at smaller clubs if he wants his night to continue. I consider the first two or three days a bit of a warmup for the weekend, a chance to get myself out of ‘work’ mode and check out some music I might normally not.
On day one of the festival, I went to the Seahorse to see Outtacontroller, Teenage Kicks, Single Mothers and The Flatliners. Although punk isn’t a genre normally covered by FUXWITHIT, there was no rap or electronic music happening that I was interested in. Furthermore, I had recently heard some good press on Single Mothers and after hearing The Flatiners on CBC Radio 2’s Strombo Show, I picked up their most recent record, which I enjoy. Although neither disappointed, Single Mothers stole the show by a long shot, inciting the crowd to stage dive and crowd surf even after they were given several warnings from the inadequately built security guards. The frontman looked ridiculously similar to Danny Brown and had just as much energy. He even had a missing front tooth and a big goofy, tongue-out grin. By the end of their set, half of the plaid-clad audience had been tossed out of the bar. By the end of the night, even the Single Mothers frontman was tossed. The night was definitely entertaining.
Day 2 had even less to offer me at first glance, but I made the most of it by letting my friends make the decisions. I also knew that if I’m going to make it to Sunday, I’d better keep it real for the first couple days. First on the list was Tokyo Police Club at the Olympic Centre, which is probably my favourite venue for HPX. Although the radio-rock type music didn’t interest me much, everybody seemed to enjoy it. Neither the band nor the crowd had much energy. It took hearing the popular radio singles to get much of a reaction. We left before the encore.
After the show, my friend left me for home and I headed down to Reflections Cabaret to see some rap. Reflections had recently relocated and this was the first time I had visited the new location. While it’s smaller, it has more useful space. Fewer dark corners and hidden views of the stage, in particular. It’s become a nice venue for smaller, intimate shows. Hopefully they continue to book performances there. Although I was irritated with myself that I missed Cam Smith, I knew that I’d see him open for BADBADNOTGOOD and company, so I got over it. I did, however, make it in time to see the headliner, SonReal, so I found a spot near the centre of the room and tried to keep myself from buying more beer.
Now, I had never listened to SonReal before seeing him last night. His unremarkable real name is Aaron Hoffman, and he’s from small town British Columbia, now living in Vancouver. He’s got a few free releases on the internet and he’s also been nominated for a Juno for his 2012 release The Closer, recorded with Toronto rapper Rich Kidd. The first thing I noticed was the simplicity of the stage. There were no props, just him and a man in charge of making sure there was music happening. He had great stage presence, great energy, and he engaged the crowd often. At one point, he started what sounded like a hit and then cut it off ten seconds in, stating that he had changed his mind and didn’t want to play the song. He quickly revealed that he was joking and laughed, pointing out a dude in the front who looked like he was going to rush the stage. I appreciate that type of interaction with the crowd. Although it was difficult to hear/remember the vocals, it sure sounded like a lot of ‘I started from nothing,’ which is normal for rap music. His delivery had a lot of variation as he changed tempos and went to cut time often. The music sounded good, the bass hit hard, and his timing was spot on. I definitely heard enough to make me want to check out his recorded stuff the next day.
And that was day 2! Tonight is Cam Smith, BADBADNOTGOOD, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah at the Forum and then who knows where I’ll end up.
