Photos and written by Bang Ho
I’ve been enough of a fan of Haute and Freddy that they’ve been on my radar for a little over a year but missed them when they were in town for ACL last year. Needless to say, I was not going to repeat my mistake and for sure catch them on their Big Disgrace tour stop at Scoot Inn this time. I knew I was going to have fun, seeing as they are ridiculously talented musicians and their sound is dancey synth pop which is right up my alley –but what I did not know was how much the show was going to surpass all of my wildest expectations.
Upon arriving, I immediately felt woefully underdressed. There were loose feathers in the air and on the ground, lost from the countless feather boas worn by fans that sold out the venue. Sparkles were everywhere, I was not sure if the theme was Ren Faire accoutrements, carnival/circus, or a mix of both. I’m still not sure, and I don’t think it matters to the Royal Court honestly. It wasn’t until I got home and found out the theme for the Toronto, Carrboro, Salt Lake City, Vancouver, and Austin shows were feathers and sequins. Upon reflection, I really don’t know if the theme would have changed the outfits of the crowd all that much.
The duo started the show with songs off of their debut album Big Disgrace, but immediately drew the crowd into a world of theater and drama. There was hardly a moment the crowd was not a part of the show, with Haute handing out roses to the crowd during an early song for example, or when they paused to find actors to join in for a theatrical performance of “Scantily Clad” on stage. They surprisingly quickly found a queen, king, pope, and knights that were brought on stage and given direction on when and what to do. At another point in the middle of the show, Haute asked if anyone had a birthday and had a discussion about astrology signs which led Haute’s attention to an audience member named Primary (sp?) and asked them what their interests and hobbies were. In true vaudeville form, Haute and Freddy improvised a beautiful and funny song about Primary and their hobby of creating experimental alien techno pop. To add to the theatricality of everything, the clown troupe Fou Ha Ha joined the duo on stage to fill out the convocation of boisterousness with spirited gavotting.
There were countless unique moments that had me smiling and dancing. There are lots of shows left this year still, but if I may be bold, I do declare that this is quite possibly, my favorite show this year. In these tough times, this show was exactly what I needed, touching me in a way that gives me relief from simply existing.
