Kool Haus, Toronto. For events of this scale, it’s the best place to be. Spacious, and with a warehouse feel. I arrived early to catch the opening acts, and I was glad. Lemaitre had a funky Pop-Rock feel, which felt really fresh. I heard tracks like All I need and High Tide and instantly began wondering why this artist isn’t on my iPod. His sound seems like a mix between Chromeo and Owl City, so it only seemed natural that I went home to download everything. Lemaitre had some pretty creative designs for caps at the merchandise table, and I was very tempted to say the least.
Giraffage took it to a whole new level. He played his remix of Better Off Alone and all the 90’s kids went wild for it. It was almost Trap-like, mostly Electro and very retro. The visuals were trippy. There were lots of cats, anime characters and pixelated pizzas; everything a hipster could ask for and more. His set was such a bonus to the tour that I cannot wait to see his music career take off from here, and for his return to Toronto.
I’ve been waiting for Porter Robinson’s “Worlds” Tour since I pre-ordered the album in July, and I can confirm that the wait was definitely worth it. Many people were hesitant to attend this tour, since Porter decided earlier this year to reinvent himself artistically, by making music that feels right to him, rather than pumping out bangers that he know would sell. That takes guts which deserves respect. He still proved he can play heavy tracks like Fellow Feeling, which then dropped into an unreleased track that was so heavy it seemed like it was going to melt our faces off. It was glitchy, dubby, and even Metal. The track has no official name that I know of, but I suspect it’s part of the “Worlds Part 2” album, which he mixed in parts of during the show, featuring unreleased tracks from the first album but much heavier; basically what everyone originally wanted. The show literally had the best of both worlds. Pun intended.
The night was hands down amazing. Porter was singing the harmony live on top of the vocals in a few tracks, he was drumming live on a pad, playing his own chords instead of just pushing play, and he mixed up new songs with old. He played most of his new album including tracks like Sad Machine, Divinity, Flicker, Lionhearted and so many more. It was powerful to hear everyone in the crowd sing the words in unison; a truly bonding show filled with many feels. I saw many girls and even some guys with tears in their eyes at several points in the evening.
This was definitely not a rave, but an experience. It’s Porter’s first show where he played 100% all original material, and even threw in some old favourites, like Unison. He closed with Language.
Despite being at an all-ages show, it was still one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. I rarely buy merchandise at an event, but this was one instance where I felt I had to support one of my favourite artists. This was my second time seeing Porter Robinson at Kool Haus, and both times are on my list of top shows I’ve ever attended. Porter keeps climbing his way up the musical ladder, and I commend him for stepping out of his shell in order to make a dent in EDM history. I can’t wait to see what Porter comes up with next, and I’m eager to see which venue he will headline the next time he returns to Toronto, as The Guvernment Complex will be closed before then.
LINKS:
Porter Robinson
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Giraffage
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Lemaitre
SoundCloud
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Serafina Thoma – EDM TOR
