Osheaga Day 3: Bladee Leaves Us Drained

Everyone has a favourite artist who’s a little hard to explain to the uninitiated. But I don’t know if any fanbase experiences this problem quite like Drainers, the utterly feral fanbase of Swedish multi-hyphenated creator Bladee.

The show got off on a weird foot, to say the least. Following a truly bizarre shitshow of a set from Mariah the Scientist, Bladee opened the set with tracks from their newest album, Cold Visions (Trash Island, 2024), which leans more on the abstract side with its glitchy, early Youtube-esque instrumentals and Bladee’s signature off-kilter rapping style. They stayed this course for the first few numbers as scores of people left the crowd, shaking their heads and grimacing as though they’d just stepped in something. But simultaneously, the core group of Drainers near the front were being whipped into a frenzy, smashing together as though they weren’t all fighting for their lives in apocalyptic heat.

A few songs in, Bladee hit their stride, throwing it back to some of their older songs from previous albums with disgusting beats and scream-worthy hooks, yet never losing the sensitive, almost meek side that makes Bladee such a fascinating artist.  As I took it all in, I realized that this show was not meant to be for everyone—Bladee’s entire performance was for the 60 or so Drainers in the front and no one else. It was for the people who love this weird brand of socially awkward, introverted, Scandinavian drug-dealing music—something that Bladee has a complete and total monopoly on. 

Despite being a lone figure on the expansive void of the Osheaga stage, Bladee had no trouble taking up space, skulking about the space and conjuring a fever pitch in the crowd from thin air. Having now seen them live for the first time, I believe that Bladee may be a witch from the future, sent back to deliver us from the tired, macho bullshit that plagues rap as an art form today.

Photos by Benoit Rousseau