There’s always a self-appointed king of soul crowned at Osheaga, and this year the throne tilted toward Leon Bridges on a slot too early for his own gravity. He arrived like as a rumour, last-minute, mid-afternoon, blue Adidas tracksuit and matching shoes, glowing like a UV signal flare against the stage.
His backup singers shimmered in tropical green and gold, a small humid ecosystem behind him, and during “Tears of Joy” their voices curled up like sweet, sweet steam It was so, so familiar, I could’ve sworn I’d heard it in another life. Turns out it’s brand new, a preview of Leon Bridges’ Happiness Anytime, out September,
already haunting the air waves.
Bridges is like Marvin Gaye reincarnated through a fun-house mirror — same velvet phrasing, but his feet do something ancestral and alien at the same time. Mid-song, mid-sentence almost, he’ll slip into a moonwalk or a camel walk. He and his band clearly rehearse a shit ton. “Good Thing” arrived stitched between newer tracks, seams barely visible, Bridges’ gravity optional the whole time. We gotta give props to the horn section, and I’m sure they played “The River” or “Texas Sun,” but many company and I had to make our way to check out Wolf Alice. So it goes at the festival. Still, Leon Bridges was the perfect opener for my Osh this year.
Phors by Benoit Rousseau
