From Edinburgh, Scotland, High Fade re-invents funk music in their debut album, Life’s Too Fast.
Midnight Thirty, a local Dallas band sees a bright future ahead of them with their eccentric sound. It’s like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double trouble got a little too funky with their tone knobs. It was very obvious drummer Cade Nelson was having the time of his life by the way he did not break his smile once the entire show. They all looked very proud of each other after every song. Bassist Hayzen Hunter and guitarist Jon Figuero are absolute wizards behind the strings.
The crowd quickly picked up on their talent and the cheers and claps would get louder after each song. Figuero is a very humble figure, hiding his smile from the crowd after the room grows deafening from cheers. The three have such an unforgettable sound, they are a true gem and Dallas is lucky to have them.
Getting the stage prepped for High Fade, a girl next to me shoved her vape into the shaft of her leather boot until it fit snug. It was until then I realized exactly how this show was going to go down. From across the pond, the Edinburgh, Scotland native trio could easily be spotted in the crowded venue with their pleated shirts and compelling looks contrasting against the crowd’s plain band t-shirts and blue jeans. Squeezing through the crowd to get to the small stage, guitarist/vocalist Valentino begins to empty his pockets as well, leaving a pack of cigarettes on his amp along with a bunch of miscellaneous items. The saying “getting your face melted off” may seem ridiculously if you’ve never been to a show with artists like these three, but if you happen to get told that, just be prepared for the greatest night of your life.
While debuting their first studio album, Life’s Too Fast, Dallas is lucky enough to be the second show to hear it live on the tour. You’d think being the second show, they’d still be working out some kinks. Turns out that couldn’t be further from the truth. The three of them were so tight and precise, you would believe them if they told you they were born with their instruments in hand.
Their raw energy and funky spirit made it impossible not to move your body and mouth the solos. It really started to pick up when they got around to playing “666 999.” Oliver Sentance’s groovy bassline in the beginning and Harry Valentino’s charismatic charm started getting the crowds energy going. Their sharp edged funk is unlike anything you have ever heard before.
I will never forget the first time I heard a High Fade song, which ended up being “Burnt Toast and Coffee.” It was my last shift before moving away to college in the back of my boss’s car on the way to a celebratory lunch. I remember immediately Shazaming it and thinking about how I have never heard anything like this in my entire life. It felt like I have been deaf for years and it was my first time hearing music, and that was the same feeling the majority of the crowd felt.
About half way through the show, Valentino sets his guitar down for a mid-show bathroom break, and without hesitation Calvin Davidson on drums stole the show. Drum solos have become a normal occurrence at shows, but Davidson’s talent is night and day different from any drummer I’ve ever seen. The stamina of the three needs to be studied because they didn’t break a sweat. The last song of the night of course had to be “Burnt Toast and Coffee.” Oliver Sentance stank faced his way through the entire song while Davidson gets up and is face to face with the front row getting rowdy. The tone of Valentino’s guitar is curated to perfection with his groovy funk-disco touch making it sound like you are in the studio recording.
Just as the three think the nights are over, they hear the sold out audience begging for one more, which turns into wanting two more and then asking for three more. Valentino flashes a smile and gives into the persistence. “How about two more,” Valentino asks while the crowd goes crazy once again. As it gets down to the actual last song, a gritty tone vibrates through the room and Davidson on drums yells through his mic, “It’s just one of those days, when you don’t want to wake up.” And before the first verse could be finished, the audience is even more riotous than before.
Even the wall sitters that thought they were too cool to get down were getting wild. Every person in that room was moving. Anything that Valentino told them to do, they did. Their funky-ness and charm with their immense talent make you yearn for more. One day, High Fade will be one of the biggest bands in the world and I will die on that hill.
I am a Touring Concert Photographer based in Dallas. I have a love for physical media such as collaging and mixed media. I personally work with Laredo Two as their photographer and Your Neighbors as their touring photographer! My top three artists are easily The Backseat Lovers, Radiohead and Inhaler! When I'm not shooting, I’am playing animal crossing or playing guitar.
