Anders and Mixed Mercy took the stage at the Turret on Friday

Photo by Eva Ou

Shortly after 9 p.m. on Jan. 31, the doors of the Turret opened and the gradually growing line was let inside, all eager to see DJ duo Mixed Mercy, and Anders, hosted by the A-Team. The number of times I’ve frequented the Turret are few, only having ever been there for academic reasons, but the space was expectedly transformed.

The far right wall held the stage and an LED screen which was used to visually engage the audience throughout the night. The table on the stage featured a simple setup of a turntable and a couple of laptops.

By the time Anders showed up, the turntable was cleared, leaving only the laptops behind. There was a spot directly across the stage where fans could pick up Anders’ merchandise throughout the night.

At around 9:30, local DJ group Mixed Mercy, comprised of Junaid and SummerKnocks, began their set in front of a small crowd of maybe 30 listeners. Throughout their set, they used their sense of humour to poke fun at the small crowd size.

Regardless, they did a good job of engaging the crowd with popular songs and getting us to clap along with the music. At one point they invited an audience member on stage, who, at her own expense, amused the crowd with her dance moves for the length of one song.

Because the Turret was so empty, their set felt sort of like showing up to the club a little too early and standing around as you wait for the dance-floor to fill in. But despite the small turnout, they did a good job of engaging the slowly growing crowd and I found myself and other audience members singing along to some of the songs they played.

Shortly after their set finished, Anders made his appearance on the stage, in front of a crowd that had grown closer to 100 in size. The venue, which had the potential to fit around 200 people, was less than full, likely due to the extreme weather that evening. But I found that this created a more intimate and engaging concert experience.

If I were to describe his sound, I would say it’s like a crossover of 6lack and The Weeknd, especially so in his first EP 669. But from attending the concert, it’s clear to me that he has grown into his own sound as his discography expands.

Red, pink, and blue strobe lights bounced around the room, giving off the impression that one was looking through a pair of 3D glasses. Having never listened to Anders before, I was pleasantly surprised when he came onstage to one of his more popular songs, “Diamonds.” The conventional trap beats enabled him to bring a lot of energy to the crowd, captivating his audience from the get-go.

While much of his musical influence seemed to centre around RnB music, the second song on the setlist, “Press It Up”, seemed to be heavily rap inspired. The fluidity of his sound made for a balanced setlist. Listening to his songs after the concert, I definitely notice how Anders’ stage presence influenced the ways that I digested his music in the moment.

He jumped into the barricades during his song “The Wall,” which put the crowd into a frenzy; an action I would not have expected if I had listened to the song prior to the concert.

Jumping into the barricades led to problems with his microphone for the rest of his set, but this did nothing to subdue his performance, and he continued to get as close to the audience as possible, which worked to enthral the largely female crowd.

As the set progressed he slowed it down, with melodious and sensual songs such as “With or Without,” and “December.”

I found his sound to be comparable to The Weeknd’s album Trilogy, especially with songs like “On My Way,” due to the slow, hypnotizing beats and indulgent lyrics.

If I were to describe his sound, I would say it’s like a crossover of 6lack and The Weeknd, especially so in his first EP 669. But from attending the concert, it’s clear to me that he has grown into his own sound as his discography expands.

My personal music preferences definitely made Anders’ music that much more appealing to me, as I tend to listen to hip hop and RnB inspired music the most.

Despite the reduced turnout and small venue, Anders delivered a dynamic and entertaining show.

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