For the love of big hair: Easter weekend with Milky Chance

For any band there is a number of indicators of freshly acquired popularity: sold out shows, screaming fans, and girls who inevitably try to jump you on the way out of the green room.

Over the last year,  Milky Chance went from that alternative folk band your obscure friends tell you about to a band topping charts and invading playlists of people from 15 to 45. With two sold out show over the Easter weekend in Toronto Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch fully invaded the East side of the city.

No one seemed to mind the ambiguous opening act while continuing some all-encompassing conversations about how hot Rehbein is: “I’d totally sleep with him right now. Just kidding. But not really…” awkward laugh follows “I love his hair!” All chatter stopped and turned to piercing screams as soon as Milky Chance came out on stage.

Check mark for all three popularity indicators.

Rehbein and Dausch’s music has been painfully summed up into ‘Folk, soul and reggae-infused electronica’ by various critics, but who really pays attention to the genres these days when the innovations in music try to break all the rules built up by the early masters. Sadnecessary not being quite the music to dance to the crowd seemed slightly confused about their moves, some tried to fully dance while others stuck to the safe bopping and tapping. Rehbein and Dausch don’t move much themselves nor do they talk a whole lot but they did play out the entire album catering to everyone wishes.

The duo are soaking in the heat and are in no rush to make another YouTube viral sensation. “We can definitely still feel the buzz, and it’s still overwhelming for us because everything happened in such a short period of time” they told Rolling Stone. Having seen bands get close to the sun and sink like Titanic with the second album one can only appreciate Milky Chance’s pace and patience.

Here’s to hopping that whatever comes next is another genre-banding collection of tracks to play on repeat.