A crowd congregates around the Rouyn-Noranda automotive repair shop; I am a completely unsuspecting bystander to what I’m about to witness. haha Laughing materializes, anointed in a holy blue glow and immediately gets to work with a relentlessly energetic set.
Sporting their signature bespeckled boxing boots, Aby Oviedo (aka BB BASCO) is a fucking force. Seamlessly transitioning between drums, saxophone, rapping, and metamorphosing into a slug. Their intense deadpan affect is balanced perfectly by co-rager-in-chief Jay Dilick. Full of conviction, Dilick’s vocal delivery is a conduit to feelings I didn’t know I had. The crowd thaws and surrenders to haha Laughing’s undeniably innovative sound. Their intoxicating sonic universe incorporates a lush mix of samples, absurd, haunting lyrics, catchy beats, live instrumentation and furious vocal delivery. The duo draws the attention of a few dudes rolling hard, who take the opportunity to join the action in front of them. haha Laughing takes it in stride, which only amplifies their audacious on-stage fuckery.
The rambunctious pair leave it all out on the court in their first FME set. Their official FME set feels like a victory lap the following night. The late-night audience is primed for these avant-garde dirtbags to tear it up. Tracks “ROACHEZ AND MOSQUITOZ” and “PULLED APART BY HORSES’”inspire joyously violent thrashing in the pit. Their irreverent sound is punctuated by gut-punch vulnerability on “LIL RALPHIE” and “LADYBUG NECKLACE.” They’re in the pocket as they transition into an impassioned rendition of “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas. Dilick cascades in and out of the crowd without missing a beat while Oviedo makes no bones about busting it down between spitting bars and ripping the sax. As I proceed to lose my marbles in the pit completely, the trust between Oviedo and Dilick is palpable as they take turns chancing it all in front of the sweaty crowd. On the bleeding edge of genre and performance, haha Laughing is a visceral monument to the beauty of risk-taking and being fucking loud.
