Photos by Charles Poladian, words by Carly Creed
Theophilus London – Humdrum Town
Thursday, June 16 marked day one of the Third Annual Northside Festival presented by The L Magazine. Apart from being a Brooklyn-based fete, Northside compares to other large scale multimedia festivals like the wildly diverse SXSW and CMJ ( Northside’s unofficial “sister” autumn festival) in that dozens of Williamsburg music venues, vendors, and New York-based musicians collaborate to provide festival goers with a panoply of activities that focus on new music, art, food, and culture (with a special focus on Brooklyn).
In consonance with its preceding festivals, Northside 2011 cements itself as a unique and exciting experience of musical discovery that has something for everyone.
The Music Hall of Williamsburg set the stage for the official Kickoff Showcase with Gordon Voidwell and headliner Theophilous London which I hope signals only good things for the rest of the weekend. Being new to both bands, I was gleefully pleased at not only the uniqueness of these acts compared to previous Northside’s but the exciting content of the bands as well.
Gordon Voidwell is a retro indie outfit from the Bronx that kept the audience grooving with what I considered to be “post”-Michael Jackson (too soon?) new wave punk-funk. As the house gradually filled by mid set, Gordon Voidwell had a notoriously chilly Williamsburg bobbing and feeling a sound that had been lacking from previous Northside’s (with exception to Ava Luna and a few others).
More of the review and a full set of photos from the night
Gordon Voidwell-Ivy League Circus
From song to song, Gordon Voidwell explores sweet falsettos in his cover of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” and smooth hooks in “Ex Boyfriend”, jumping from funky sounds to heavy rock without skipping a beat. Combined with confident guitar work, tight and energetic percussions, even bringing back electric drums, and a really rocking keyboardist (loved her hair and outfit!) solidified Gordon Voidwell as an act not to be missed. With his infectious energy and application of older sounds, Voidwell’s music and performance is like a wonderful outfit of old hand-me-downs that, when put together, make something fresh, new, fun, and ready for a good time.
As the showcase continued, so did the fun music. Theophilous London along with his DJ Mia Meretti and psychedelic guitarist parallels Gordon Voidwell’s genre-bending with a more driving, grinding, hip-hop house gig. Gliding onto the stage, it was clear that Theophilous London was no stranger to the stage. Imbued with confidence and energy that is often mimicked (and often to hilarious results) by other independent hip-hop artists, it is clear that he was the genuine article.
Blending style, form, and attitude, Theophilous London puts himself apart from mainstream hip hop acts with his psychedelic samples over his driving, syncopated lyrics. While delving into commonly accepted hip-hop territory in “Girls, Girls, $,” London doesn’t offend, maintaining good energy throughout. By the end of the night, the audience’s hands were way up, ready to give a “hay” and a “ho” from peoples coast to coast.
This night shows a new side of Northside that I hope continues in the future. Hip-hop and funk sounds are usually underrepresented in Northside and to see day one with two unique and thoroughly fun acts that are diverse and danceable makes this writer a very happy camper. It’s not even the weekend and my 100ccs of dance-funk had been properly administered. Eat, Drink, Dance and be Merry at Northside!
Theophilus London at Music Hall of Williamsburg
Gordon Voidwell at Music Hall of Williamsburg
