Tank and The Bangas w/ Big Freedia and Naughty Professor
The Neptune, Seattle, WA
11.06.18

“Kitchen sink.” It’s a term you might find on a restaurant menu describing a dish that has just about everything. Mine usually come in the form of a breakfast skillet. The Head Bangas tour brought that kitchen sink appeal, and all the talent to back it up to Seattle’s Neptune Theater.

The crowd slowly made its way into the theater while New Orleans’ six-piece, Naughty Professor, opened the night with some iconoclastic pop-funk. It was a bold choice to have an instrumental group begin the night ahead of some raucous hip-hop, but it worked well. With tight grooves and smooth jams, each member had a chance to shine during their set. Notably, guitarist “Wild” Bill Daniel lived up to his moniker and was a force.

Next came Big Freedia. Popularly known as the “Queen of Bounce” for her performance of Bounce music. What is Bounce music? It is a form of Hip-Hop centered around energetic beats, audience participation, and a whole lot of booty shaking. Shadowed by three exceptionally talented backup dancers, Freedia did not let up for her entire set. It seemed like each song was a crowd favorite. The theater really started to turn it up when “Gin In My System” began. The crowd was jumping, the temperature started to rise, and it officially became an unabashed dance party.

Freedia is not all about the booty shaking. She flowed effortlessly among all of the chaos. In addition, she was doing all of this along with some periods of choreography. The set really hit its peak when perennial club favorite “Back That Thang Up” by Juvenile blasted and she invited about 20 fans on stage to demonstrate their twerking skills. The crowd took it to another level, to say the least. The finale was a bit unexpected when the familiar opening of the signature Whitney Houston song “I Will Always Love You” whispered into the air. A set based in bumping beats and high energy ended with a gentle sing-a-long with cell phone flashlights in the air. It was a very pleasant surprise.

Ever since Tank and the Bangas burst onto the scene with their NPR Tiny Desk-winning performance of “Quick,” they’ve been regulars on the festival scene. Their style cannot be categorized because it can drastically change from one genre to another in an instant. In true T&TB playful fashion, they appeared in panda costumes, creepily waving, and then snapping to the beat. Eventually, Tank (Tarriona Ball) removed her panda head to reveal herself and start immediately into a frenetic rap of the aforementioned “Quick.”

The set started with Missy Elliott-style rap and then transitioned into smooth R&B. The stand out of the night was “Rollercoasters.” Beginning with spoken word (back to Tank’s slam poetry roots), the song that touches on why we ride roller coasters (those who are not in love ride them to feel the thrill of falling), gradually moved into a soulful verse where Tank and her back up singers truly showed off their vocals.

As soon as the crowd settled into the soft hooks, T&TB exploded into “Jungle Love,” which came off as a Dave Matthews-esque jam. Anchored by the riffs of bass player, Jonathan Johnson, the rest of band showed their mettle. Alto saxophonist, Albert Allenback, was the most energetic and happy instrumentalist I have ever seen, Etienne Stouffelt was effortless on the tenor sax, Joe Johnson set his keyboard on fire, and Joshua Johnson was the foundation with his intricate drum fills.

After starting the night off with their hit song, they decided to end the night with a brazen cover of the hip-hop classic “B.O.B” by Outkast. Tank’s rap skills were more than up to the challenge and everyone in the crowd came along for the ride.

These three bands threw “everything and the kitchen sink” at The Neptune and the crowd happily accepted it.

Review and photos by Phillip Johnson

Tank and The Bangas

Big Freedia

Naughty Professor