In the early hours of the evening on Sept. 23, the downtown area filled with the buzzing of people eager to explore the arts and culture hub forming at Nuit Blanche Winnipeg. For the first time in the history of the event, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) became a venue for the evening, playing host to Music scene at the CMHR.
“Music Scene at the CMHR” captured the attention of a multitude of personalities and individuals. Children ran and danced in the melting pot of colours projected on a wall while a group of show boaters performed handstands and a juggler wowed a small audience in the back.
As the lyrical sensitivity of genres wrapped in the scuzzy grain of grunge rang from the speakers, a sense of welcome filled the space. Early attendees settled down to enjoy contemporary culture in a night of togetherness.
Dance music band French Class kicked off the night before Tinge took the stage.
Sitting in the front row closest to the speakers, an audience member was headbanging to each beat, synchronizing with the music and feelings pouring through the CMHR. As attendees gathered their friends and orders, they settled in for a better view of the bandmates, taking in the notes amid clusters of conversation.
Veronica Blackhawk, singer-songwriter for Tinge, wailed heart-touching, scratchy yet delicate notes alongside the hum of her amp, bringing a unique blend of somber melodies and bright-eyed wisdom to the group’s performance.
Alongside Blackhawk, drummer Lincoln Brown and bassist Jordan Tait captured the vulnerability that comes with young love through head-rocking tempos and earworm basslines. These elements layered onto Blackhawk’s gentle words about the inability to make eye contact and the hope to get the one who caught your eye alone.
While Tinge captured a moment of lounging rock, an energizing performance from follow-up Alpha Toshineza breathed new political and personal light into the crowd. Toshineza introduced his set with double-timed hi-hats, relentlessly steadfast beats and classic funk riffs.
Soundtracking as he shared his story of being raised in Europe and finding his way to Winnipeg, Toshineza professed his love-hate relationship for the city by turning grime into inspiration through his song “WPG TRNST.”
Rapping about breaking up with sadness and moving on while invigorating the crowd with call-back responses, the French Canadian rapper ended the first half of his performance with “Chaque Jour.” Filling the space with a fast repetitive beat that urged the body to move, the performer was adamant that the crowd let go and enjoy themselves.
Nuit Blanche Winnipeg showcased a rich artistic community that saturates the city’s underground. The event brought people from different walks of life together to explore contemporary culture within Treaty 1 territory.
During this season of orange leaves and brisk days, “Music Scene at the CMHR” showcased an eclectic mix of young artists coming up within the seams of Winnipeg and provided a space for people to come together, have a drink and look into a new wave of music within the Winnipeg scene.
