Written by: Racquel Villagante
Photography by: Taylor Friginette
It was the second night of Seasons Electronic Music Fest 2016, and the artist lineup at Fortune Sound Club boasted some of the freshest talent trending on both the local scene and international stage: brother-sister electronic duo from Edmonton, Tennyson and Juno-nominated Vancouver-based multi-instrumentalist & producer, Pomo.
The evening was kicked off by Vancouver’s own computer music maker, James Deen, who served up his flirtatious, feel-good sounds to the crowd. In true Vancouverite fashion, bodies gradually gravitated to the centre of the dance floor; with drinks clutched in place of iPhones, the audience began switching gears into the long weekend.
Tennyson (a.k.a. Luke & Tess Pretty) took to the stage shortly after the superstitious made wishes at 11:11pm. An emphatic squeal from a lady next to me informed me that the duo’s mom was standing in the front row. “She’s so proud!” the lady exclaimed. Tennyson fans who had come up from all across Washington state also made their presence known, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that these two teens had developed quite the fan following.
Within seconds, the crowd was captured by Tennyson’s playful energy and undeniable talent. Luke’s iconic bowl cut bounced as he jumped up and down, blissfully dancing on the keys and midi pad. Tess effortlessly held it down on the drums, all smiles, never missing a beat. On “Fault Line” and “Too Long,” Luke showcased his darker, Drake-like vocals. Audience members sang along as one girl standing next to me held her hands over her mouth, her glitter-covered eyes bawling–“Too Long” was clearly her song.
A silent break between songs arose from technical difficulties, to which Luke adorably said into the mic, “I’m all flesh.” The dynamic duo recovered without a scratch, bursting with high-energy and infectious joy on their track “Slipperz” (sampling Destiny’s Child’s “Cater 2 You”). Luke showed off his jazz piano skills on the syncopated, Nintendo sound-filled “L’oiseau qui danse.” Despite his own apparent talent, Luke would chime in 2x, “Give it up for my sister, Tess!” The duo’s harmonies erupted on “Beautiful World,” sending the audience into a state of awe. This sibling synchronicity was unreal.
To follow this dynamic duo was headlining DJ-producer sound sensation, Pomo (David Pimentel originally from Port Moody–hence the name “Pomo”). Not a stranger to the Vancouver music scene, Pomo made a name for himself on the international stage by getting his track “So Fine” picked up by L.A. label HW&W who then signed him along with U.K.’s Disclosure. After 2 months of touring with Disclosure, playing to crowds in the thousands across the U.S. and Europe, Pomo was ready to deliver a more intimate live music experience for his homebase.
As Pomo and his band hit the stage, you could immediately feel the increasing intensity from the amped-up crowd. The audience’s excitement was satiated with Pomo’s popular mix of Alina Barax & Galimatias’ “Fantasy,” as the packed house began moving and grooving as they were sonically transported to an oasis “underneath the palm trees.” Pomo’s band–which he had introduced individually as: Dan on bass, Nate on keys, Tim on drums–all vibed flawlessly with each other. You would have never guessed in a million years that it was their very first time performing together.
On the jazz-funk-soul SoundCloud hit, “Am I Wrong” (Anderson .Paak ft. ScHoolboy Q), the live musician element of Pomo’s performance elevated the show experience to an interstellar level. The genuine enthusiasm and connection to the music was evident on everyone’s faces both on stage and throughout the audience. The entire room was lifted and lost in the groove.
Pomo stayed true to the local-talent theme of the night when he invited to the stage 604 Records’ reigning soul queen, Tonye Agabana, for his Mark Ronson banger “I Can’t Lose.” Tonye’s vocal prowess shined on the MJ tribute track “Rock With You,” bringing everyone in the house to a place of euphoric nostalgia. Unarguably, the crowdpleaser of the evening was Pomo’s mix of Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down,” whose familiar lyrics were belted out by all.
Pomo was beckoned back to the stage with a resounding encore immediately after his last song, “So Fine,” to which he replied with a frank sense of humour, “That was the quickest encore, ever.”
It was most definitely a night that music fans from the Great North West could be thoroughly proud of; one that proves local talent undoubtedly exists in the underground and deserves all the love and support–not just from the international circuit, but from musicheads right here at home.
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