GALLANT
Silky-smooth R&B slides into the Red Marquee
Spinning smooth R&B grooves in spine-tingling falsetto, Gallant (Maryland native Christopher Gallant) made his first appearance at Fuji Rock taking to the Red Marquee on Friday afternoon. Moving his body dramatically to the music, he never stood in one spot, dashing upstage and down feeling each beat of his talented backing band’s funky R&B. He bantered with the crowd using pretty impressive Japanese, revealing that he had a fascination with Japan from an early age. This fact is reflected in one of his songs, “Miyazaki”, a track inspired by the Ghibli animation master Miyazaki Hayao.
Gallant’s vocal chops took center stage and never faded away, giving the afternoon crowds goosebumps with each soulful rise and fall. Definite highlight “Skipping Stones”, with band keyboardist standing in for Jhené Aiko who usually features on the song, was an incredible moving centerpiece to the strong set. The audience was visibly impressed with Gallant’s stage presence and talent, letting him squeeze every last bit of emotion out of each song before falling silent and only then bursting into applause. Crowds were hanging on to each moment of Gallant’s smooth falsetto, and the Red Marquee had little room to spare for latecomers to the afternoon performance.
