B.C. Boys Harrison Brome & POMO Smash The Fortune Sound Stage for Seasons Festival 2017
Words by: Racquel Villagante
Photos by: Taylor Friginette
(Thursday, April 13th)
Vancouver, B.C. – The Easter long weekend crowd was all set to get lit at Chinatown’s popular music hub, Fortune Sound Club. It was the second night of Seasons Festival 2017, a déjà vu perhaps for some, as it was once again the second night of Seasons at Fortune and the lineup boasted West Coast talent including the returning headliner, EDM producer and multi-instrumentalist, Pomo. This year, however, instead of Edmonton-hailing bro-sis duo Tennyson, we were graced with Vancouver’s very own up-and-comer, Harrison Brome slated for the opening spot.
The room was buzzing with anticipation and filled to the brim as Harrison stepped onto centre stage in a tan corduroy jacket. The bright white spotlight shone rather harshly, directly pointed at the artist’s face, however, Brome carried on without complaint, providing a longer, fuller set than his “Body High” release party last month at Fortune Sound.
The between-song stage banter was minimal, and it would appear to an onlooker that Harrison felt most confident when submerged in song. Regardless of the lack of crowd dialogue, Brome’s electro-soul-R&B sounds were greeted with groovement and sing-along from fans. Harrison subtly danced on the keys while singing with a visible depth of emotion. Tracks performed included: “Pools”, “Midnight Island” and “Sex Calls”. The moody, broody track, “Fill Your Brains”, and the newest, freshest single from Brome, “Body High”, were the two most memorable from and evoked the most response from the audience.
The man of the hour, Pomo (a.k.a. David Pimental), the R&B-funk-soul EDM artist & producer hit the stage with his full live band, returning from last year, complete with uberly talented and lively bassist, drummer, and keyboardist. The 2016 JUNO-winning Pomo delivered his much-loved songs with a self-assured and seasoned stage presence. After touring the international festival circuit and producing with such renowned hitters as Mac Miller, Anderson .Paak, and KAYTRANADA, Pomo has somehow managed to retain a humble, down-to-earth vibe while displaying a more developed confidence on stage than the year prior. Crowd-pleasers from the night included “Fantasy” (Alina Baraz), “Dang!” (Mac Miller feat. Anderson .Paak), “On My Mind”, and a brand spankin’ new Anderson .Paak track still yet to be released. Pomo delivered hit after hit without even once stooping down to the Sapporo beneath his MIDI/keyboard stage setup. The dude was on fire, the room was lit, and there was no time for water (or beer) breaks.
The one-year reunion vibes continued into the night as R&B soul songstress, Tonye Aganaba, was invited onto the stage for the performance of Mark Ronson’s “I Can’t Lose” (ft. Keyone Starr). Pomo’s palpable passion on stage commanded the crowd to get lost in the music. When he asked, “How are we doing Vancouver?”, the crowd replied with ear-numbing cheers and screams of “I LOVE YOU POMO!!!”. To get an entire crowd to dance unabashedly in this city can be a huge challenge for most local performers, but this is definitely one homegrown artist who has overcome that feat. Without a doubt, there was a strong community of loyal fans and followers in the Vancouver crowd that night, all there to show much love and support for their homegrown homie, Port Moody’s (hence, Po.Mo.) POMO.
