Electronic, chill act Toro Y Moi, fronted by Columbia-native and USC alum, 24-year-old Chazwick Bundick headlined Indie Grits' hyped show at ReSale ReVue in West Columbia late Saturday night. Joined by opening acts Valley Maker and Mermaids, the show proved to be nothing short of brilliant after a long night and tough start to the featured act's set.
The night, which was slated to start at 9 p.m., saw its fair share of complications, including a crackdown by the fire marshall, strictly limiting the venue, which houses two former movie theater screening rooms, to 300 people. The event, which cost $15 for a regular ticket, was sold out at opening, turning fans hoping to snag a door ticket away all night.
A close-knit crowd, who took venue-front breaks together, swayed their heads in sync and fashioned the same electronic-beat dance moves, couldn't get enough of Toro Y Moi, patiently waiting it out through an early-set technical mishap. After the on-stage quartet's first song, the guys couldn't get the computer and soundboard together, and had to break after a few stalled starts. And props to Bundick who didn't shy off stage and send for technical support, but called for the house music and started work himself on the quickly-fixed problems.
The guys wasted no time jumping back into the line-up, allowing the signature beats and electronic love to speak for itself. There was no fuss, no elaborate stage work, no crowd-engaging claps — the music consumed the room, and as you looked around the audience, there was not one person immune to the Toro chill — dancing, singing and being in their own musical utopia. And, the band seconded the musical feeling. Sweat dripped from the drummer's nose, and the guitarist tapped his navy blue Converses against the stage, emotionally straining his whole self into the backing vocals.
It was chill. It was trippy. It was down-to-earth. It was the next big thing. Admittedly, before tonight, I had listened to Toro on occasion, catching it on a good shuffle, or hour of WUSC. But, tonight, I got it. The up-and-coming chillwave phenomenon all rushed into my realm, with the music, talent and sheer uniqueness of the sound standing alone in the act's hometown show.
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