Ten years ago punk rock was unheard of in most urban settings. Hip-hop was the reigning source of music making no room for anything else. Fast forward to the present and we can clearly see that punk rock has found its place in the streets. Afropunk has given a platform for the punk sound to shine. The show came to Toronto recently to give fans the "Niggy Tardust Experience". By now fans know to expect a high octane version of surprises.
 
"Expect pure, in your face, raw energy from every artist," said Afropunk's own Keep Way about the "Niggy Tardust Experience". The show truly delivered on his word bringing extreme energy with every artist.

The event featured Saul Williams, Krak Attack, The American Fangs, as well as Toronto's very own Saidah Baba Talibah and The Ooohh Baby Gimme Mores. As soon as the show kicked off audience members couldn't help but to immediately rock out with the performers. The Ooohh Baby Gimme Mores put on an amazing set to warm the crowd up. One of the highlights of the night came when Saidah took the stage. She gave the crowd an unexpected surprise with her R&B/Rock fusion. The singer was pumped about the experience and found two perfect words to describe it: "F***king wicked."

Then there was Saul Williams. He gave his heart out to the crowd for an hour. He climbed on the speakers, rocked out with the crowd and even walked through the crowd while singing. At one point K-Os came on stage and showed his love for Saul. At the end of the night Saul took time to shake hands and talk to each and every fan.

"I've always loved Toronto," Saul said. "I love the artists that come from [Toronto]."

Saul and the rest of the performers proved their relevancy and street cred, but more importantly, they hooked arguably the most finicky city.


Words By: Shaun Bolden + Photos By: Whitney Summer