Fantastic Negrito
Velvet Underground
Toronto, Ontario
October 12, 2016
Due to the nature of what I do I get to go to a lot of concerts and, the laws of probability being what they are, a lot of the concerts I attend are pretty great. Some gigs, though, are extra special. Every once in a while a show will be so good that it stays with you, even days later sending shivers up your spine a pulling you back in. Fantastic Negrito was just such a gem.
Part soul singer, part preacher, part comedian, part political commentator, Xzavier Dphrepaulezz is many things, but for most among those is storyteller and showman. From the moment he and his band step on stage you are spellbound, the mix of bluesy beats, sultry vocals and Dphrepaulezz’ frenetic charisma as he thrusts and gyrates his way around the stage.
This organized chaos on stage saw the Oakland son weave his way through a set that included a dozen of the bluesman’s offerings to an audience that reflected back every bit of the energy they received. Some notable inclusions being Scary Woman, a far too danceable number encapsulating the ages long mystification over women suffered by the male of the species. Midset came a personal high point with the back to back triple threat of my three favourite tracks – An Honest Man, Working Poor and In The Pines. The latter being a modified rendition of the classic American folk song made popular by the legendary blues musician, Lead Belly which Fantastic Negrito now dedicates to all the mothers, like his own, who have lost children to the gun violence which has reached epidemic levels in America.
Fantastic Negrito’s performance at Velvet Underground was church without the religion. It was a modern day sermon on the mount and condemnation of America’s corrupt foundations in one. Love your brothers, love your sisters, keep the faith and above all burn the Empire to the ground and start a new. When Fantastic Negrito hit the stage, even the staunchest of atheists had to question their convictions because we were left believing we must have a soul because Dphrepaulezz just ingrained himself upon it.
Setlist:
Plastic Hamburgers
The Nigga Song
Scary Woman
Rant Rushmore
Hump Thru the Winter
An Honest Man
Working Poor
In The Pines
Night Has Turned to Day
Dope Fiend Drama
About a Bird
Lost In a Crowd
Connect with Fantastic Negrito online: Website Facebook Twitter
All photos by B Hartling
©2016. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
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