Van Hunt plays by his own rules at Bardot

Seraphina Lotkhamnga on
2

The “It’s a School Night” series at Bardot aren’t shy of eclecticism, given that they are curated by KCRW’s Chris Douridas. However, the lineup Monday featuring Jacuzzi Boys, Van Hunt and Tycho was out there even by the night’s eclectic standards. Miami’s Jacuzzi Boys catered to the punk-stoner’s music delight with their glam-influenced garage rock, whereas San Francisco’s original chillwaver Tycho calmed the room down but sped up the BPM. Yet it was L.A.’s own Van Hunt‘s set who provided the most from across the musical spectrum; his performance shamelessly and artfully tore down genre barriers the second he and his band began the political “North Hollywood.”

Hunt’s third studio album “What Were You Hoping For?” a record overlooked by many in the industry last year (including this blog), is appropriately titled considering the twists and turns the Grammy-winning songwriter and producer has made since 2004’s “On the Jungle Floor.” If it had been a while since fans had seen him live, Monday night’s set was a ferocious statement of how he’s changed his ways for the better.

Hunt, who had written several hit R&B and pop tunes for the likes of Dionne Farris and Nikka Costa but had spent much of past few years in label limbo, played a set that melded styles and bent rules, containing elements of Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Prince and Bowie. Sometimes his pedal board (which was placed beside him rather than beneath him) seemed to be the source of this cathartic raucousness, but while meaty distorted guitar riffs laid a serious undertone, his soulful vocals still ran smooth with a gospel and R&B feel.

Hunt has not abandoned funk, either, but the grooves have been tinted with psychedelic scratches in his own melodic dystopia. However, the scars from this experimentalism have also led him to a triumphant ending that puts those who considered him “a second John Legend” in the past to absolute shame. With this new liberation, he growled, crooned, or rocked when he felt like it. Whether he wished to focus on his vocals only, or get lost with his guitar or walk in to the crowd, it didn’t matter. He performed his new songs as he wished ”“ in the same manner he wrote them ”“ and this organic vibe was projected on to his fans, who ate all of this up. Now, if Van Hunt says “That song was so short, let’s play it again,” (which they did), there’s nothing you can do about it.

Photo by Carl Pocket