In a strange way, it felt like they had been playing one continuous song the entire night, seamlessly moving from one to the next. The encore was fairly long, and they played one of their hits, “People Everywhere (Still Alive),” before transitioning into a brief cover of “What is Love” by Haddaway, before again transitioning into a cover of “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)” by Crystal Waters (also covered by my boy Tom Misch). And then, abruptly, they left…Ī handful of minutes later, they came back out in new garb, and Laura and Mark were clutching new instruments. Every time Laura and/or Mark traipsed out onto the catwalk, people lost their goddamn minds. The mix was superb, the bass was intoxicating, the guitar was groovy, and the percussion was masterful. They even managed to rip a ten-minute mid-set hip-hop medley, including “Electric Relaxation” by A Tribe Called Quest and “Nuthin’ But a G Thang” by Dr. They played tracks from their two latest records, Con Todo el Mundo and Mordechai. When the band came out, the ovation seemed never-ending with some fifteen-thousand fans cheering them on. Similarly sedulous was their stylist, for the main set, and for the encore which had bassist Laura Lee rocking out in a sparkling red dress that looked like it was made out of confetti. Their set designers must have been hard at work building a set that featured an elevated drumkit from which DJ would work, a catwalk, and various lights of all shapes, sizes, and strengths. ![]() The sun was setting as Thundercat finished his last song, and the stagehands came rushing out to build Khruangbin’s stage. Maybe it was the gods giving us a slight reprieve from the hellish Austin summer as the triple-digit temps begin to wane. Maybe the wind was due to the topography and architecture of the venue. Nobody move, there's blood on the floor And I can't find my heart Where did it go Did I leave it in the cold So please give it back, 'cause it's not yours to take It must've fell when I lost my mind Deep in the cut, drowning in a pain Somebody help, 'cause I can't find my way Nobody move, nobody move Somebody tell me how I'm supposed to feel When I'm sitting here knowing this ain't real Why. Just a nice outdoor venue with a cool breeze coming in from the west. Photos by Brendan Kirkįor those who have never been to Germania Insurance Amphitheater, think Red Rocks, but no rocks. Thundercat’s fans were out in force that night. The track hails from his 2015 album The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam, and he stuck with that album on his fitting finale: perhaps his most well-known track, “Them Changes.” The crowd went wild when he walked on stage and didn’t stop until long after he was gone, so maybe my trepidations regarding those struggling with Google were misplaced. Next was “Lone Wolf and Cub” a tongue-in-cheek ballad which evolved into an impressive and indefatigable bass solo. ![]() Bruner rewarded the audience with “Black Gold,” a cut from Flying Lotus’s album, Yasuke. In fact, almost every song he played was from his most recent record, aside from the last three tracks. He began his set with several cuts from his latest album, It Is What It Is, including “Dragonball Durag” and “Overseas.” Notable and unfortunate was the Zack Fox no-show. How would they be able to find his music without knowing what he calls himself? But I mostly feel bad for them because he never introduced himself by his stage name he opted only to call himself by his government name, Stephen Bruner. I feel bad in part, of course, because they aren’t Thundercat fans. With him it was effortless and fast… always in the moment and on the seat of his pants.I feel bad for the people at the Khruangbin show that weren’t Thundercat fans. I’ve spent so much time around cats that try so hard to be this one thing. It would sound so weird, but he would risk it. ![]() “He was so freed up to the point that he didn’t care. “I’ve never been around a person like that,” Thundercat said of Lamar during a recent interview with Rolling Stone. Thundercat is scheduled to hit the road later this year, though he has a handful of festival dates lined up, including sets at Pickathon in Oregon (August 1st and 2nd), the Low End Theory Festival in Los Angeles (August 8th) and Afropunk in Brooklyn (August 23rd).ĭespite the two-year gap between solo material, Thundercat has remained busy, contributing to two of 2015’s most lauded releases: Washington’s jazz opus, The Epic, and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. Along with contributions from Flying Lotus, the mini-album boasts an appearance from Herbie Hancock, who plays keyboards on “Lone Wolf & Cub.” The collection also features Kamasi Washington, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Mono/Poly on saxophone, strings and production, respectively. The six-track The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam marks Thundercat’s first set of solo material since 2013’s Apocalypse.
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