The line into Granada Theater on that cold December night was long, but I still chatted excitedly with my girlfriend as we waited to see Danny Brown and Femtanyl. While admittedly not the most knowledgeable on either’s discography, I’ve listened to both for years now, having discovered them through other artists. After what felt like hours, we finally entered, and I immediately beelined to the front with my girlfriend to secure our spot— before abandoning her for a 30-minute long merch line. I did at least have the decency to ask her if she wanted anything before I left though.
While there, I got the layout of the audience—most were Femtanyl fans, and many of those who I talked to hadn’t heard of Danny Brown before. This surprised me as I’ve always thought of Danny Brown as the bigger artist, but the bands he was playing with drew a different crowd.
After taking the very last hoodie and a CD, I returned to find Femtanyl already playing. Originally a solo act by Noelle Mansbridge, the band recently expanded to a duo after hitting it off with her live drummer (Juno Callendar).
Like their music, their set was incredibly high energy and so was the audience. I found myself dancing along.
After their set ended, the next band up was underscores, aka April Harper Grey.
For electronic artists—especially artists like underscores who don’t have instruments on stage (barring the microphone)—creating visuals is extremely important. She accomplished this by using the TVs on either side of the stage for fast-paced visuals that perfectly accompanied each song. Some were lyrics, others were videos—but all kept my eyes glued to the TV with occasional glances at her.
After underscores’ set was over, it was time for Danny Brown. I knew from the second he started that I was going to enjoy his set.
He had a presence that commanded your attention, aided by his unique vocal style. For most of his tracks, he sang in a high-pitched, nasally, almost cartoon-like manner, heavily contrasted by songs about drug addiction, sex, and other mature subjects.
His tracklist included both his solo work (including two of my favorite tracks off the album Atrocity Exhibition) and multiple collaborative tracks. This included “Scaring the Hoes” (from the album of the same name), which I had seen JPEGMAFIA play live the year before. It was interesting to hear Brown’s take on Peggy’s vocals—which while lacking the same bite, highlight the humor present in the song.
Since Brown has collaborated with both underscores and Femtanyl, both came on stage to sing their respective songs.
Unlike the album he did with JPEGMAFIA, the two tracks with underscores and Femtanyl respectively both made him and his vocal style blend in rather than stick out. Both underscores and Femtanyl are transfems known for their extensive use of vocal filters, making Brown’s voice feel like a natural quality of said songs rather than a unique quirk. The fact he both collaborated with and went on tour with them in a world increasingly hostile to trans existence also gave me further respect for him as an artist.
Overall, I really enjoyed the show, and will definitely be seeing all of them when they tour here again.
