By: Erica Raley
On August 18th, 2023, the Rainbow was home to a multidisciplinary music show. The noticeable sense of camaraderie amongst the guests could be attributed to the crowd, which would grow in size as the night grew older. At 9 p.m. sharp, Neighbourhood Noise’s own Jazuzu introduced the talent for the night: Julzzz, hans!, and the feature act of the event, Kaspien. Each act was outfitted in the stylings of Mckenna Ireland, an Ottawa-based fashion couturier.
As Julzzz took the stage, the crowd was in awe of their outfit: A mismatched, two-piece skirt set made entirely from neckties. Beneath the skirt was a knee-length, white tulle hem that added an element of whimsicality to an otherwise edgy and sophisticated look. Mckenna had clearly caught the audience’s eye; attention that she would continue to hold until the last band left the stage.
But Julzzz themself is a sight to behold, or rather, a sound to be heard. Their voice is smooth and even, like cutting through butter with a hot knife. They began with a cover of Kali Uchis’ “Your teeth in my neck,” and man, did they nail it. They have a beautiful melodic voice, not missing a single note and adding their own canorous riffs in the chorus to make the song their own.
During their 30-minute performance, Julzzz sang a mixture of originals and covers. One unreleased song entitled “Spiralling” is about Julzzz’s journey through early adulthood, starting at a time when they thought she knew everything until “life happened,” and they realized they still had some learning and growing up to do. With lyrics like “How can someone be so smart and dumb?” Julzzz is exploring the duality of everyday life, where sometimes two opposing truths have to exist at once.
Julzzz’s enticing sound is reminiscent of a few famous artists- Their voice is like the threeway love-child of Ericka Badu, Billie Eilish and Kali Uchis.
After Julzzz’ set, while the crowd flooded out to the street for their 15-minute smoke break, the next performer began preparing the stage: hans!
Mckenna styled hans! in streetwear: denim midi-shorts and a beige cargo vest layered over a white graphic tee with fingerless gloves and tasteful jewelry. This was a deviation from Julzzz’s alternative look, and it became clear that Mckenna’s talent for styling is broad and comprehensive.
hans! presented himself to the multiplying audience by exclaiming, “Does everyone like music? Does everyone like fashion? Does everyone like dancing?” as he played a synth beat on his keyboard. The dance floor replied with a cheer, their anticipatory energy leaning into and feeding off of hans!’s unmistakable excitement.
His performance, reminiscent of 80s synth-pop, quickly turned the Rainbow into a Scandinavian dance-pop party. The crowd was dancing and clapping along to the lighthearted rhythms. While singing over his synth beats, hans!’s clean vocal runs added a beautiful dissonance to his upbeat, brisk sound.
One of hans!’s last songs was called “You Know Best,” he revealed that he had finished writing it that morning before performing it. He briefly overviewed the theme with the crowd- an interesting conversation he’s had recently with an old friend: insecurity. “This person, this entity, is responsible for so much hardship in the world. I wanted to share my conversation of insecurity with you all through song and dance.”
The fusion of 80s pop and modern synth rock, hans!’s high-energy performance and his vulnerability through his lyrics made for a performance the audience refused to stand still for.
Kaspien was the last to perform. The only performance with a live band as opposed to their solo-performing counterparts, the musical ensemble surprised the crowd with their blend of alt-rock pop, as they always seem to do.
Kaspien’s vigour as they performed was unmatched- the bassist, Rich, was jumping around the stage spiritedly, amping the crowd up for their set list of originals and covers. The crowd roared as the lead singer, Karim, announced a beloved Spotify favourite of theirs: “Sea Witch.” This song’s mixture of weight and sultriness is evocative of The Arctic Monkeys, and the audience, singing and swaying along with it, was devouring every second.
Karim wore a mesh, deep-v, 3/4 sleeve shirt and a slitted, pleated skirt sewed onto a pair of black, ripped jeans. Rhythm guitarist Jack was sporting a silver spider on the left shoulder of his black button-down top. Rich, too, was in all black, wearing a graphic tank with an animal-patterned vest. Kaspien’s drummer Adam was in a leopard print evening shirt with the top 3 buttons left open, in the spirit of the all-black, animal theme.
The four looked incredibly put together, and Mckenna’s avante-garde ambiance perfectly suited Kaspien’s offbeat and experimental sound.
When asked how she decided to style each artist, Mckenna said: “I was pretty flexible. Julzzz sent me a mood board, hans! sent me a mood board, so I tried to take their influences in when designing their outfits. But I put Kaspien in a bunch of pieces I’d already created.”
Even more impressive, though, she noted that the outfit Karim was wearing was actually her final assignment from Richard Robinson Fashion and Design School, where she’s recently graduated.
“I’ve done fashion shows before, but this is my first ever live event,” she remarked on the unique blend of art showcased that evening.
In addition to the live musical performances and Mckenna’s distinctive styling, Karim had also invited Tash from @bespokebeadsca to display her hand-beaded bracelets for purchase: “[this show is] very unique, and I wish that this was a more common thing; to do art featuring music. Usually, it’s just one or the other, but I love this mixed vibe.”
The crowd came to the same admiring consensus, with many congratulating Mckenna and Tash on their involvement and inquiring further about their services after the show. Thus, the evening ended on an exceptionally positive note, with support and appreciation from each attendant: guest, artist and musician alike.
“This was so much fun; everyone was incredibly nice. The music… oh my god. I discovered new artists; it was great!” said Tash.