Electronic trio BADBADNOTGOOD turned up the volume on campus for WVAU’s fall Capital Punishment concert Nov. 14, along with opening act Ace Cosgrove.
Maryland rapper Cosgrove, 23, opened the show with a high-energy set. It became clear from Cosgrove’s interactions with the crowd that he was trying to engage the audience and get his name out there.
Often putting down the microphone to come dance in the crowd, Cosgrove instantly gained the attention of the audience. Even pulling up fans on the stage with him, it seemed that Cosgrove enjoyed the experience as much as everyone else.
Cosgrove sang songs off of his new album, "Us vs. Robots," which can be found on SoundCloud. He was later joined on stage by Uno Hype, another local artist.
Even though the show started 45 minutes late, the crowd was still energetic for BADBADNOTGOOD, the group from Toronto.
Despite not having a lead singer or front man, the group’s instrumental music still entertained the crowd. Coming off the May 26 release of their album “III,” BADBADNOTGOOD played mostly new songs for their first appearance at AU.
Although the crowd was close to the stage, the intimate set-up did not make up for the lack of a strong interaction between the trio and the audience. Rather, the band’s music is for when you want to “vibe,” as drummer Alexander Sowinski described it.
After gaining popularity from their musical interpretations of well-known songs, BADBADNOTGOOD found its initial fan base from Youtube and SoundCloud and began to collaborate with artists such as Frank Ocean, the Wu-Tang Clan and Danny Brown.
In addition to the concert’s late start and Cosgrove’s long playing time, BADBADNOTGOOD’s set lasted longer than was expected. The crowd was obviously tired by the end, and the group’s songs did not vary enough in sound to carry the time.
The band has a more mellow sound that is best for a low-key event, but the large crowd, while tired, left satisfied with WVAU’s fall semester show.
BADBADNOTGOOD’s album can be found on iTunes and SoundCloud.
