Web: oscarandthewolf.com
Contact: inge@goldatl.as
Players: Oscar & the Wolf (Max Colombie)
In the heart of Brooklyn, Belgian artist Max Colombie, better known by his moniker Oscar & the Wolf, took to the stage for his first New York City show. Accompanied by only a DJ and guitar and in unassuming street clothes, Colombie walked into a flood of light and simply began to sing. The Hall at Elsewhere is an intimate venue, but fans filled the room from wall to wall. During the third song, “Dancing Machine,” Colombie encouraged everyone to jump around to the rapid heartbeat of the track, smiling broadly and talking with the crowd. Strobing lights and thrumming bass washed over the audience as they danced and jumped in time with the music. Frequently, he would toss directions out, asking everyone to dance, move, and throw their hands in the air as if tonight was the last night on Earth, with the audience rapt and eager to participate.
Despite the stripped back accompaniment, creeping synth phrases, grooving beats, and reverb in the vocals immersed the room in sound. The arrangements showcased Colombie’s dynamic lyrical skills, sometimes slow and melancholy and other times quick and clubby. In “Princes,” dramatic strings and a swelling synth bass shook the room but abruptly switched to staccato strings and speeding hi-hats found in ‘90s hip-hop. In “Think About You,” Colombie introduced the audience to the music genre “lullaby club”—where dreamy ballads are played over club beats. He feels that most of his music can fit in this genre, with slow, romantic vocal phrasing paired with intense and unyielding synth rhythms.
Earlier this year, Oscar & the Wolf released a cover of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion,” and Colombie eagerly shared it with the crowd. Low, held notes from a piano rumbled under dramatic vibrato in his vocals. Swelling bass thundered from below, rising up to wash over the crowd. It felt like a religious experience, ethereal and mythical, with the audience echoing his words back at the chorus. Colombie’s cover delivered more yearning and heartbreak than the original, softening R.E.M.’s rock edge. Instead of a true cover, Colombie smoothly blended his voice into the track.
Oscar & the Wolf has since released another single, “Safe and Sound,” with S10, and will be touring Europe this summer. Colombie frequently plays festivals, and even performed at a Met Gala party in May, so keep an eye on Oscar & the Wolf’s schedule for future shows.
