High Fade Brings Their Scottish Funk Rock Charm To Massachusetts
As an American, when I think of Scottish music, I ashamedly only think of bag pipes on a mountain side, and not a vibrant and bustling music scene (fun fact, did you know indie rock band Franz Ferdinand is from Scotland?). High Fade has made me reconsider this ignorant train of thought I didn’t realize I had. Hailing from Edinburgh, High Fade didn’t want to leave North America out of the fun of their new album “Twice as Nice”, playing 51 shows across two countries in two months. High Fad brought their self described punk funk rock to Soundcheck Studios in Pembrook, MA for an early stop in their two month run.
Kicking off the night was Canopy, a three piece rock focused jam band from New Haven, CT. While they are a small group for a jam band, don’t let that fool you, their sound is mighty. Playing only 5 songs during their 45 minute set, Canopy focused on groovy, funky, melody driven jams. I say this with the highest compliments I can give, Canopy gave the jam band vibes of three dads who love playing music and playing it with each other. These vibes carried to the audience, with everybody grooving and dancing along.
While Canopy showed the fans what they were in for, High Fade brought the energy to the next level. Looking like a hair metal band from the 80s, High Fade took the stage to a nearly sold out audience, who showed their appreciation for the band traveling so far with thunderous applause. With this being the band’s second time playing at Soundcheck Studios, the band was welcomed back with joy and love from their fans. The energy felt joyful and playful, with everyone leaving everything on the dance floor.
High Fade consists of three guys, Harry Valentino (Guitar/Vocals), Oliver Sentence (Bass), and Heath Campell (Drums), and these guys know how to shred. Not quite a jam band but with insane solos, good crowd interaction, and a killer mustache on the bassist, High Fade knew how to put on a show. The crowd got in the groove, and cut loose.
While the music was guitar heavy, there was a sore lack of crowd-surfing and mosh-pitting, but that was no fault of High Fade. High Fade left everything they had on the stage, and here’s hoping they jump the pond again to give North America another taste of some of the best Scotland has to offer.
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