The living room was filled with bodies, chatter and heat. I sat in a cluster of people on a carpeted floor. As my legs cramped, I looked at my surroundings and grinned. Before the show had even started, Sankofa House had become a packed, electric venue. The halls, couches and doorways were all but filled with eager concert-goers. On stage, there were a few people toying with chords or setting up instruments. They all seemed equal parts excited and surprised by the number of people in the audience. After some crowd-settling and a quick bathroom break, second-year vocalist Seckou Soumare weighed a mic in his hand and introduced the group.
On Friday, April 28th, Seckou, second-year multi-instrumentalist Nathan Ferguson, first-year drummer Quintin Fernandez, first-year pianist Luis Plaza, second-year bassist Ben Lewis, second-year guitarist Nate Smith and third-year guitarist Diego León played their first gig together under the name NOIR. I’m pleased to report that everything from the concert environment to the music itself was a roaring and joyous success.
That night, NOIR played a mixture of covers and original tracks. The covers ranged from older disco cuts by the late singer Michael Jackson to modern R&B. Additionally, second-year guest vocalist Aliana Butler-Gray and campus musician NORCOM joined the group on stage and added some wonderful new textures to NOIR’s sound as the concert progressed. Hearing some of these original songs evolve from simple jams in SOL Studio to fully rehearsed collaborative pieces was an amazing experience for many, myself included, that have had the pleasure of watching these musicians grow throughout this year.
While it would be incredibly fun to run through the standout moments of that night in greater detail, my interest in this performance lies more in the “how” of this concert. How did NOIR put on such an amazing show with such a great reception on their first try? From what I had gathered, the answer seemed to lie in their belief in one another.
While I don’t know every member of NOIR as much as I’d like to, I’ve gotten to know most of them pretty well over the course of this year. Every person I’ve spoken with believes in their equal role in NOIR. The vocalists consistently emphasize the instrumentalists’ roles and vice versa. They give life to each other on stage, and because of this, they have a deeply-rooted trust in one another. You can see it on their faces. When they make music together, they aren’t consumed by the technique of the music or stressed about perfection—they’re smiling.
When I spoke with these musicians after the concert this belief was confirmed. Hugs and compliments were exchanged excitedly, and as the audience filed out, the smiles remained. Every musician guided my attention away from their own concert highlights, instead opting to gush about their bandmates’ best moments. They don’t just have mutual trust in one another, but also a deep love. That love allowed them to take campus by storm. Make sure you catch the next concert if you missed out this time; I guarantee the venue will be bigger.