It’s difficult to say who felt more out of place during Friday’s Palomosa rollercoaster line-up: the Xaviersobased crowd watching Poison Girlfriend, or the Poison Girlfriend fans witnessing the epitome of Gen Z irony unravelling before their eyes. If neither could understand, both were amused. Being one of the youngest rappers to break out in recent years, Xaviersobased’s name has become synonymous with his generation’s embrace of absurdity. Between internet references, hand signs, and the cryptic semiotics in his visuals, his set felt like entering the pantheon of some alien culture. As he ran from side to side, screaming off beat into his autotune mic over bass-boosted rage beats, the entire festival’s vibe and crowd completely changed in the span of 10 minutes.
From an outside perspective, it can be a steep curve to overcome the abrasive quality of his music, but for the people moshing, singing their hearts out, hanging onto every lyric, there’s a deep sense of cohesion that can be felt. As a niche internet celebrity first and foremost, seeing Xaviersobased in the flesh must be the equivalent of some great pilgrimage for the chronically online.
During his hour-long set, he gave everything he had and the crowd responded. Circle pits formed, and people at the front were crushed against the fences. When his set ended, there wasn’t just a sense of relief, but also of satisfaction. As uncomfortable and incomprehensible as it was, it gave me a great sense of hope seeing another generation of artists create their very own movement.
After the success of Nettspend and Shadow Wizard Money Gang last year, it makes sense that Palomosa capitalizes on the magnetic effect of these star-bound rappers. This year’s lineup was headlined with artists like Xaviersobased; Lucy Bedroque, Fakemink and Thaiboy Digital. Only time will tell if this is a passing trend, or the narrowing identity of this relatively new festival.
