Upstairs Cabaret in Victoria was a sweaty mess recently, when the rude and reckless crowd got down to the beat of The Slackers.
It was one hell of a night, to put it mildly. The ever-charming Jamaican rock ‘n’ rollers of Manhattan, New York made a stop in Victoria as part of their West Coast tour with Sammy Kay and the Fast Four of Brooklyn.
Early on in the evening the Victoria-based band SweetLeaf opened the show with their mix of ska, reggae, and funk.
Upstairs Cabaret was absolutely packed for this much-anticipated show. After Sammy Kay and the Fast Four rocked the stage, Victoria Ska Society founder Dane Roberts took the spotlight (the society put on the show), giving a heartwarming speech and welcoming back, after a year and half, the Slackers, who have been connected with the Victoria scene for about 14 years.
Having played together for 23 years, The Slackers showed that they have only improved with age. The band is inherently New York sounding, and it’s not just keyboardist/vocalist Vic Ruggiero’s heavy Bronx accent.
The crowd was the typical atypical mix for Victoria ska shows, with folks in attendance ranging in age from 19 to 65, rocking a variety of styles in terms of both attire and dance moves.
At the end of their set, The Slackers left the stage but were quickly cheered back on for a brilliant encore that lasted another four or five songs. Interactions between The Slackers’ band members and the crowd gave the night an intimate feel, bringing everyone together and creating a positive flow of interactions.
As attendees piled out into the night, some heading to the after-party, the smell of sweat stayed behind, proving the show was a success.