Noise Pop Review + Photos: Adia Victoria @ The Bottom of the Hill
I was expecting to sit in traffic when crossing the bridge from Oakland to San Francisco, but to my surprise the roads were near empty. It was 8pm on a Saturday and I silently thought to myself “This is going to be a quiet night.” As I am pulling up to the Bottom of the Hill, I snatch a parking spot directly in front of the venue and make my way to the door. When I arrived, the people began making their way over to the stage as the first act (Pumpkin) was about to begin. I make my way up to the front of the stage and get ready for another great night of music at Noise Pop 25.
AhSa-Ti Nu was next on stage and played some funky, yet soulful tunes to get the crowd warmed up. Once their set finished, I turned around and realized there was a packed house behind me. I quickly realized tonight was not going to be as slow as expected. Madi Sipes & The Painted Blue took the stage and the crowd started cheering. Based in San Francisco, Madi Sipes’s deeply soulful voice mixed with some extremely catchy lyrics got the crowd up on their feet and dancing. They played a short set, but Sipes did a great job interacting with the crowd and setting the stage for Adia Victoria.
Adia took the stage wearing a long red coat and glossy red shoes, which the crowd loved. She quickly took off the jacket, walked over to the microphone and with focused eyes said “Hi, I’m Adia Victoria. This is my band and we’re here to play the blues.”
As Adia plays her songs, you can’t help but notice the support of the band behind her. Tiffany Minton (drums) plays with so much passion, her body swaying to every beat of the drum. Alex Caress (keys & saxophone) plays with a happy smirk and seducing the crowd with his saxophone. Mason Hickman (guitar) plays to the left of Adia, setting the mood with the smooth sounds of his guitar. Jason Harris (bass) standing next to Minton at the back of the stage, showing his enthusiasm with the classic bass face. And, of course, Adia at center stage, displaying her talent as a guitar player. Together, the five-piece band puts on quite the performance.
Adia’s presence on stage is fierce and unapologetic, yet she moves about the stage with such elegance. Her words are sung with deep passion and her eyes are filled with dark, heavy emotion. She smiles slightly as Mason Hickman (guitar) as they exchange a few words. However, that was one of the few smiles during her performance. It’s apparent that Adia is there to tell a story with her music. The most captivating part about Adia’s performance was the way she can influence a crowd without engaging in too much banter between songs. She lets her music speak for itself and that level of confidence on stage leaves the crowd infatuated.
Released in May of 2016, Adia’s first, full-length album Beyond the Bloodhounds is a dark, bluesy look into her personal life. She sings a lot about love and loss, but she sings it with such starkness and honesty. You can feel the fire and intensity in her voice, which really allows listeners to connect with her on a deeper level. When observing the crowd as she performs these songs live, you can feel the passion in the room. When she plays “Dead in the Eyes” the crowd dances, smiles and is completely engulfed by the guitar solos. Whereas “Stuck in the South” and “And Then You Die,” takes the crowd to a deep state of emotion, eyes closed and slowly swaying to the beat of the drums.
Overall, Adia’s performance was gratifying. The austere sound of her voice along with her intensity on stage creates an astonishing experience. Her band plays the blues flawlessly, while Adia sings them with such passion and emotion (occasionally singing in French). As I was leaving the Bottom of the Hill I felt fired up, but calm. Emotions that seem to capture the essence of Adia Victoria’s stage presence.
