First to Arrive. Last to leave.
Watching a sold out show transition from the quiet, early stages of the night into a jam packed dance party is truly a sight to behold. The steady increase of people and changing of artists results in a constant change in atmosphere.
Despite this fact, one thing held true. Good vibes and high energy were present for the entirety of Louis the Child’s stop at Skyway Theatre.
The night began slow. A small crowd gathered by the main stage awaiting Party Pupils, the first act of the night. For the people who couldn’t wait, a duo by the name of HRMNY started off the night on the venue’s other stage, Studio B. From what I caught of their set, they prioritized house and mixed in some other genres as well. Though I couldn’t stay for long, as it was time to head to the main stage.
Party Pupils’ stage name betrays them for one reason only. They appear to be masters of the art of partying. Unfortunately, Party Masters lacks alliteration, and alliteration is fun.
Party Pupils is a future funk duo consisting of Max Schneider and Ryan Siegel. Hailing from New York City and bringing their eccentric stage presence straight to Minneapolis. Apart from their production, they go about their sets with many live vocals alongside the recorded. Siegel mostly performed backup vocals while Schneider led the way with a very clean alto. Siegel even busted out a keytar on a few tracks.
Their set contained a spectrum of remixes and originals, along with covers of Pony and Ms. Jackson. An exponentially growing audience had no trouble moving to the variety of funky tunes. Some people were even showing off their footwork, which is a sure sign of a good time.
The second set of the night toned things down just a tad. The mood transitioned from crazy funk party to a more chill house party. House as in the genre, not the structure. This did not stop the crowd from growing even larger.
Nick Winholt and Austin Woo, better know to the audience by their stage name, Win and Woo, are from Chicago. Self describing their genre simply as “dance,” Win and Woo threw down a smooth, heavy set ranging from tropical house, to deep house to trap. This set was another consisting of a healthy combination of remixes and originals. With the incorporation of guitar into their set, live instrumentals/vocals and DJ hybridization seemed to be the trend of the night.
The middle of the crowd appeared to be a little too packed for appropriate dancing, meaning, of course, that I hovered around the edges where the fun things happen. The flow toys were out now. Visual performers spun LED hoops, poi, and the infamous space squid (better known as an LED whip).
Footwork was in even greater demand than before, which filled a house fanatic such as myself with immense joy. These are my people. A pikachu girl even told me, and I quote, “I dig your moves.”
Win and Woo’s set was both a win and a woo.
The next set resulted in the most dramatic change in atmosphere of all as the night moved from two electronic sets into a hip hop set. This change deterred no one, as the crowd grew to such a size that the flow toys from Win and Woo’s set had to be put aside due to lack of space.
Queue Joey Purp, yet another artist from Chicago. With Joey rapping and a DJ on the beat, the vocalist and DJ trend continued.
The first small portion of the set started off without Joey, as the DJ showed the audience some of his individual talent. I heard some Prince, Biggie, and other old school hits. He ended on Damn by Kendrick Lamar before Joey stepped on stage.
As opposed to many of the nonsensical artists affiliated with rap and hip hop in 2017, Joey Purp is genuine in his art.
His smooth lyrical flow over old school esq. beats was the perfect intermission between the rage that took place beforehand, and the rage that would ensue.
Robby Hauldren and Freddy Kennett, the two members of Louis the Child, describe their music as “happy”. I have a sneaking suspicion that adjective can be applied to their entire persona. They seem to be all about love and good times. I’ve never seen artists play a slideshow of their adventures on a projector as they set up for their performance. Nor have I ever heard of artists passing disposable cameras around the audience so that even more memories can be collected.
Louis the Child’s homebase also happens to be Chicago. They brought the whole hometown squad for this tour stop, and they ended the night just right. The sexy, smooth, heavy, groovy style Louis the Child puts out is a flawless composition of future bass among other genres, as well.
With enough originals and remixes to fill out a ninety minute set, a crowd at capacity was trying their best to move, despite being shoulder to shoulder. And if having good friends to get down with all night and running into an old festival friend wasn’t enough, a remix of D.A.N.C.E by Justice definitely sent me over the edge of bliss.
Towards the end of their set they began to add a house twist on the first drop of a track, then bring it back for the second half, allowing fans to hear their songs in ways never previously heard. They also performed a new, unreleased track appropriately named after their tour, “Last to Leave.” After two encores, a heartfelt thank you to the show’s attendees and a blast of confetti, Louis the Child’s sold out set came to a close. However, the night was not over yet.
The night ended in Studio B with a B2B comprising every artist that had played on the stage that night. As everyone headbanged and heavily danced the final hour of the night away, my friends and I made sure we were among the last to leave.
