Canadian troubadour Hawksley Workman is a strange, compelling character. His bio reads like a small experimental novella, and his list of achievements, even if imagined or stylised, is fascinating (he once claimed to be a guy employed to stir up lions before their circus appearances). How much this wild storytelling informs his work is debateable, but only in so far as the narrative content. The fearless way he approaches art (performance or otherwise) translates not only to his stage presence, but also pushes his incredibly flexible vocal capabilities. Not unlike a magician, he tries and almost always succeeds. If not, he immediately flies onto the next trick, with zero loss of confidence.
He was supported by local musician Maples, aka Gabby Huber, a young pop ambient performer with a sound so delicate it should come with a warning label. Her gorgeous songwriting was charming and the room was moved. Her beautiful voice had a strange bendy nature to it, giving it a pleasant narcotic effect. Her solo career this past year has been growing steadily, and support slots for folks like Workman hopefully pays dividends.
Fellow Canadian Andy Brown joined them with a neat set of warm folk pop. His naturally clean voice carried his simple love songs well, and his direct songwriting sat nicely between Maples' more abstract work and Hawksley's manic bravura. Nothing particularly memorable, but certainly a nice set nonetheless.
Hawksley Workman's set was a rock theatre piece based on the Greek god Dionysus, or Bacchus (specifically of wine). It was a wildly entertaining performance that drew out as many facial expressions from Workman as octaves. It was a colourful depiction of the character and was as narratively experimental as you would expect. It was a novel piece and for those that skipped Festival First Night they were treated to something incredibly unique.
