Young Fathers with HXLT at Horseshoe Tavern

The Horseshoe Tavern was ready to party this past Wednesday for the sold out return of Edinburgh’s Young Fathers. The band last played the venue in early 2014, and they have certainly been busy since. They won a Mercury prize later that year, gathered rave reviews for their second studio album ‘White Men Are Black Men Too’, and have recently finished a European tour supporting Massive Attack. Opening the night was recent G.O.O.D. Music signee HXLT, who was the perfect accompaniment to the Scottish trio, mirroring their unconventional rock/rap sound. 

HXLT has undergone somewhat of a career transformation in the past few years, changing his name from ‘Hollywood Holt’, and moving from his Hip­Hop roots. Performing with a full band, HXLT used his electric energy, charisma, and crazy dance moves to quickly win over the audience. His skill as a performer is undeniable, however some songs from his recent self­titled album were monotonous, and the enthusiasm he built early in the set started to wane. 

The highlight of the performance was undoubtedly the cover of the late Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’, which appears on the soundtrack of 2013’s ‘The Great Gatsby’. Holt explained he was inspired to cover the song while performing alongside Winehouse at Lollapalooza in 2011. He continued that after he played his rendition to Kanye West, he was signed personally by Kanye to the G.O.O.D. Music label. The name dropping paid off, the crowd collectively took a step forward to hear if the song met the hype. The cover worked well, focusing on melodic synth lines to accompany the understated vocals and the audience was obviously appreciative. 

Leading up to Young Fathers’ set, the atmosphere was nothing short of electric. The trio’s stage presence was unique; the energy they infused into every song juxtaposed with silent stares as each songs ended, almost challenging anyone not to like them. The audience was somewhat put off by the lack of banter at first, but the strategy paid off. After a particularly vibrant rendition of their 2014 song ‘Get Up’, the harder the band glared, the harder the crowd cheered. 

Some of the songs from 2015’s ‘White Men Are Black Men Too’ hit particularly hard. The band started ‘Rain or Shine’ with the chant “I could do more, I could care less”, which was quickly picked up by the audience. The room shook as they launched into the chorus and thunderous applause followed the song, leading the band to finally break their silence with an aloof “thank you”. 

After rocking hard for around 50 minutes, Graham ‘G’ Hastings decided it was time to introduce the band and address the crowd, chanting “We are Young Fathers.” “You are Toronto.” “Every single one of y ou. ” “Every single one of u s! ” This proclamation further stimulated the audience as the band launched into ‘Shame’, the final song of the night. The crowd sang as one to the hook “What you do to feel better? What you do to feel good?” Young Fathers answered these questions amicably with their performance, leaving everyone in The Horseshoe Tavern elated.