First Thursday’s is the new concert series The Tuning Fork have been running and this was the 2nd show. It is essentially a showcase of upcoming artists, however I personally think most people probably know who these artists are, or maybe I am just ignorant and hope they do.
Though I was somewhat proven wrong I realised as when I arrived, the crowd was practically non-existent. I don’t know if it was due to it being a Thursday or people are just a lot more picky then I thought.
A few more people had arrived just before Indyah took the stage. She was joined onstage by producer (and partner) LMC. Her outfit was great but I think I just love the combo of fashion and comfort (check out her IG for the tags if you want to know). I noticed her whanau were in the crowd as well, which was awesome to see. Though Indyah has played a few shows, this was my first time seeing her and I was very impressed. Though is was an intimate performance, she still seemed to still put it all into her performance. I couldn’t fault her vocals, especially when she performed one of my faves, her new single ‘Dynamite’. I really think she is on the rise and more people really need to check her out.
Next to take the stage was Levyne. The crowd was flowing in more. She is an artist I have seen a few times, so it is probably why I assume more people should be supporting her. It’s weird knowing these artists have a lot of support or friends yet it isn’t always reflected in a show capacity. I understand cost factors etc but still.
ANYWAY back to Levyne. Like Indyah, she performed as if it was still a full crowd and her vocals were great. She moved about the stage and also danced and flowed to her own music. It was amazing and I could definitely see growth in her live performance since I last saw her.
It was interesting to see how the crowd rotated out around the artists. I notice a few people who were there for Levyne or Indyah didn’t necessarily hang around for the final act but then more people arrived to see the final act rather than opening acts. This is where I get frustrated around the sharing of set times. I understand people want to make sure they are on time but that is where I think you just post doors, first act and a rough end time. If people want to know the specific time they can message the artist and it is up to the artist if they tell them, though I wouldn’t encourage it obviously. Regardless, it was finally time for the headline act.
Pharaoh Swami took the decks to play music and build the vibe for the upcoming set. He jumped on the mic to hype the crowd and get their response to gauge their energy. The energy Pharaoh Swami exudes while doing this is all positive and really infectious.
An electrical name projection of ‘WHO SHOT SCOTT’ appeared at the back of the stage as Pharaoh Swami introduced him to the stage. He took the stage in a full white outfit with a black utility vest over the top. It was A LOOK! But if you followed him, you would have seen this outfit before, so it was awesome in a way to see that flow into the live performance since it was linked to his release and image. This was his first performance since he started his solo project and released his debut EP ‘Mercy’. With that said, the full set was the EP and the energy was insane. You can see it in the photos but also if you head to his social media you will see the video Tom Grut created at the show.
His delivery was confident and flowed well. It really felt like he was running on the energy of just playing live as he jumped back and fourth across the stage, even getting the crowd to chant. The main chant was to one of my favourite tracks on his EP ‘I just stopped giving a fuck’. Honestly I think he deserves to be on more lineups. If you want a high energy rapper with some bars, hit up WHO SHOT SCOTT!
So though the crowd wasn’t exactly packed out, these artists all gave incredible performances and really showed they are on the way up. Keep an eye out for them!