We went to see Chromeo at Toronto's Kool Haus on Friday night. Here's what you missed.
1. The old-meets-new sounds of Wave Racer
Aussie opening act Wave Racer does a great job of combining retro influences and modern sounds. On one hand, his music is full of warm, analog-sounding synths. On the other, it also has the syncopated, jacking rhythms of trap. It’s a lot of fun.
2. Chromeo’s hard start
There was no opening banter. Dave 1 and P-Thugg took the stage to their traditional "Chro-ME-oh-WHOAH-oh" intro, and immediately started playing. They had barreled through four more songs before bothering to introduce themselves. Thankfully everyone seemed to know who they were.
3. An instant dance party
We mentioned it the last time we saw Chromeo, but there really is no warming up with Chromeo fans. They go from standing around chatting with one another to hands-over-their-heads crazed, sweaty gyrating in about 90 seconds. It’s really remarkable to watch.
4. Some debate over what to call Toronto
When Dave 1 greeted the fans, he initially yelled out, “What’s up T-Dot?” before stopping himself and asking, “Or is it The Six now? Can I still say T-Dot?” Audience members then began shouting out their preferred nickname. It was hard to figure out what the consensus was.
5. So many guitar solos
There are very few synth-driven acts that still manage to shoehorn in a guitar solo. Chromeo is the exception. It felt like Dave 1 managed to get a few hot licks out in every other song. What’s really amazing is that, in those moments, you realize that this guy is a better guitar player than the lead guitarists of 90 per cent of traditional rock bands.
6. Chromeo having their Kool Haus moment
Playing the Kool Haus is a big deal for Toronto bands. When a local band plays the Kool Haus, it’s proof to your hometown fans that their faith in you wasn’t misplaced, and that your doubters can suck an egg. Chromeo are from Montreal, but in their early days, they played Queen West hipster haunts like the now-defunct Social enough that they were sort of honorary locals. Dave 1 said with a certain amount of wonder and joy in his voice that Kool Haus was the biggest venue they’d ever headlined in the city, and their legions of local fans all seemed stoked to share the moment with him. It's too bad that not too many more acts will have that same opportunity.
by Chris Dart via Electronic RSS
No comments:
Post a Comment