Somewhere beyond the heads of the crowd stood Basia Bulat and her band performing on stage at the Starlight Social Club, on March 6, bringing a disarming mix of punk-esque music and power-folk vocals to the club as a stop on her tour across North America.
Looking at her website and seeing her in concert, it is evident that Bulat is quite talented, being able to play multiple instruments including piano and ukulele, as well, singing in multiple languages, even though she exclusively sang English at Starlight. Regardless of whether you like her type of music or not, it is undeniable that she does have a good breadth of talent and diversity as a performer.
However, the two songs listed on her Tumblr homepage are a bit misleading to the overall impression given at the Starlight concert. While the homepage songs “Tu Nombre Me Sabe a Hierba” and “Dancing On My Own” project a more subdued indie vibe, the songs performed at Starlight were filled with more energy and ‘oomph,’ as well as being somewhat heavy on drums and on bass.
To describe it in a relatable way, it is like a folksier version of some Avril Lavigne or Kelly Clarkson songs, and Bulat’s voice fits this tone well, even if its power would sometimes make one inadvertently cringe. This also could have been because of the speakers, whose occasional feedback issues were indications of either minor technical difficulties or Bulat going overboard, so the notion that her voice can sometimes be overkill still stands as being at least somewhat legitimate. Aside from those hiccups, everything in the concert seemed to go as planned, and the audience was largely positive, if sometimes inconsiderate.
A highlight was when Bulat recounted the only concert she had ever performed where a mosh-pit had formed, and two people towards the front of the stage started trying to form one by bouncing off one another. It’s a shame they didn’t succeed, because then it might have weeded out the people who decided to keep talking during a quieter tribute number, which was an unfortunately large percentage of the crowd. This would have been understandable if it stopped a little bit after the song started, but it persisted for at least a whole minute. She had explained beforehand that it was in tribute to a friend she had lost, so the inattentiveness becomes frustrating in that context.
It’s hard to say where Bulat will go as an artist but it is clear her managers have high hopes for her. Her potential aside, the concert was an entertaining night that pretty much everyone in the club seemed to enjoy.
If she ever does indeed come back (which is unpredictable at this time), it would be worth a portion of your night out. Basia Bulat was contacted numerous times for an interview with The Cord but was unreachable.