It doesn't matter what music you are into its impossible not to be blown away by Young Fathers live.
Exploring the lineup for Visions they caught my ear. Hip Hop is not the normal genre I hangout in, but something intoxicating emanates from their sound that crosses genres. A raw power that reminds me of where hip hop started out. Excited by what I heard and saw on YouTube, I was proclaiming they would be act to see at the festival, yet they were more than that, they were one of the best live acts I have ever seen!
Watching Young Fathers is more like watching a stage performance than a gig. Walking out with challenging staunchness, they created an air of voodoo mysticism that almost conjured you to dance to the beat. Being in the front row was insane! You could watch the sweat sparkling on their hard chests and look in the whites of their eyes as they leaned out into the audience, daring you to drink from their cup. Not breaking character for a second, each song dripped with energy. At times you didn't know where to look, from Bankole's stripped bare chest to Massaquoi moving across the room seemingly possessed by the sound. The ending was as slick and as well timed as the rest. They went out to "I heard", leaving Hastings on stage, backed by strobe lights, singing the chorus into a subdued mic, until the crowd took over, "Inside I'm feeling dirty, It's only cause I'm hurting". Then he was gone, leaving the crowd heaving, aching for more.
Caught up in the wildness, at the end I was as drenched as they were. But my sweat was worth it. I can't help feeling I was present as something was being born into the consciousness of the mainstream.
Exploring the lineup for Visions they caught my ear. Hip Hop is not the normal genre I hangout in, but something intoxicating emanates from their sound that crosses genres. A raw power that reminds me of where hip hop started out. Excited by what I heard and saw on YouTube, I was proclaiming they would be act to see at the festival, yet they were more than that, they were one of the best live acts I have ever seen!
Watching Young Fathers is more like watching a stage performance than a gig. Walking out with challenging staunchness, they created an air of voodoo mysticism that almost conjured you to dance to the beat. Being in the front row was insane! You could watch the sweat sparkling on their hard chests and look in the whites of their eyes as they leaned out into the audience, daring you to drink from their cup. Not breaking character for a second, each song dripped with energy. At times you didn't know where to look, from Bankole's stripped bare chest to Massaquoi moving across the room seemingly possessed by the sound. The ending was as slick and as well timed as the rest. They went out to "I heard", leaving Hastings on stage, backed by strobe lights, singing the chorus into a subdued mic, until the crowd took over, "Inside I'm feeling dirty, It's only cause I'm hurting". Then he was gone, leaving the crowd heaving, aching for more.
Caught up in the wildness, at the end I was as drenched as they were. But my sweat was worth it. I can't help feeling I was present as something was being born into the consciousness of the mainstream.
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