My Favorite Performances from Q1 Part Two: Danjale/ Father Sokka + T.A.T
When I first saw Danjale perform at The Pie Shop earlier this year I was hunched on the bench on the wall registering barely a quarter of what was going on around me - suffering through a tooth infection that probably could’ve killed me.
When I saw the Chicago stallion again at Transmission, it was by surprise after DJ Bri Mafia introduced her to the crowd. The the punchline princess took the stage with her dancers, The Royals, and gave us everything. Letters - enunciated. Breath - controlled. Her dancers- synchronized. Her performance of “No Milkshake” really magnified what was already a great song.
By the time I left, I felt so fortunate to have not gone home like I’d planned to after Father Sokka’s set. I can imagine this must’ve been what it felt like watch Megan’s glow up; watching undeniable talent, passion, and aura. I wanna see a Danjale set with some pyrotechnics. I need it.
Jumping around the stage and managing breath control is one thing, but to do so while rapping about eating pussy and beating up fascists is a level of iconic few could attain. I was late to Father Sokka’s music, having listened to them only after editing the design for their NUNAR feature pages. I’d meant to write a review for their album THEM, but last summer was a doozy.
I offer to photograph again for their performance at Transmission, having done so months earlier at Ema’s Corner. Artists gets content; I get to document history , preserving evidence of a radical response to our troubling political climate. Everybody wins. But I won more.
Sokka and T.A.T spared nothing in their set. Big drums. Massive guitar and bass. Sokka and Jayden Valentine volley off each other’s energy so seamlessly. The band seems to work as a hivemind, bringing the crowd into the collective.
Oddly enough, the stage felt not big enough for such enigmatic energy, but just intimate enough for all of us to share the moment. I can’t wait for people to catch up.