Phony Ppl Bring Their Soulful Sounds to Le Belmont

By: Sun Noor

The Brooklyn-based R&B/soul collective made their return to Montreal to play their first headlining show in support of their critically acclaimed fourth studio album, mō’zā-ik.

What other way is there to celebrate the end of a draining week than to spend the rest of the night dancing to some groovy tunes? It has been a little over two years since the band first played a show in the city alongside Kali Uchis during her first headlining North American tour. Since then, I’ve been dying to catch another one of their shows. Between their enthralling energy and captivating stage presence, Phony Ppl constantly manage to find a way to immerse their radiating energy into the crowd, always shifting the energy in the room into a positive and uplifting one, which is not easy to come by.

The outfit put on quite a generous set, playing a selection tracks covering most of their discography. Despite the set being mō’zā-ik heavy (as the audience was anticipating) they managed to transition between songs according to the crowd. More precisely, it appeared as though they studied the motion of their viewers, finding ways to to match the energy of the crowd. Whether it was through jamming in between songs or quickly changing the vibe in the room by playing a slower number followed by a jazzy upbeat track, Phony Ppl have undoubtedly mastered how to perform in sync with their audience which is uncommon and quite admirable. As well, the quintet debut a new track titled “Fucking Around” halfway through their set which consists of melodic verses complimented with jazzy arrangements, setting the tone for what is yet to come in terms of new projects. Hopefully, the band will release the studio version of that track soon.

The show’s lengthy set list consisted of:

1. “End of the niGht.
2. “Take a Chance.”
3. “Either Way.”
4. “HelGa.”
5. “Way Too Far.”
6. “somethinG about your love.”
7. “Possessed”
8. “Move Her Mind.”
9. “Baby Meet My Lover.”
10. “One Man Band.”
11. “Fucking Around”
12. “Cookie Crumble.”
13. “Somehow.”
14. “Why iii Love the Moon.”
15. “Before You Get a Boyfriend.”
16. “Compromise.”

 

Here are more photos from the show:

 

Download/stream mō’zā-ik here.

Phony Ppl are due to end this leg of tonight at Boston’s Sonia, which will mark their last show until their back to back support slots alongside The Roots taking place in late December. Click here to view the full details for the band’s upcoming shows.

 

Watch Phony Ppl’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert below: