By Gustavo Raskosky
George Clanton (a.k.a. Mirror Kisses, ESPRIT 空想, and Kid’s Garden) performed live in Houston on October 18th, 2023, at White Oak Music Hall with accompanying acts: death’s dynamic shroud and Frost Children. This was the backend of George’s “Ooh Rap I Ya” tour. On my way to the venue, I decided it’d be wise to listen to the openers as I had not previously heard of them. I had roughly 45 minutes of time-on-bike to peddle through some of their hits. Death’s dynamic shroud reminded me of something I’d listen to in the background of a work session or on a film soundtrack. Experimental electronic vaporwave music best describes their sound. Their work is as dynamic as their name; however, their live performance is much more like an infamous 2000s band energy coming to life with a side of lo-fi DJ who couldn’t stop headbanging to the beat. The aforementioned DJ, Tech Honors, kept his head bopping to the rhythm of the tracks and had more energy than just about any of the audience members during their set. Second place during the set went to James Webster, their singer, who displayed plenty of passion in his guitar and vocal performances. Despite the passion James displayed and Tech’s eye-catching headbanging, the performance wasn’t as memorable as what was to follow.
After a brief intermission, Frost Children took the stage and raised the crowd’s energy exponentially with their hyperpop sounds. Their songs, “FOX BOP” and “FLATLINE,” visually amplified the crowd’s vibe; however, it still seemed like the crowd wasn’t all in. I think most of the crowd had a singular mission to hear their favorite electronic musician (George Clanton) and was taking their time to digest the rest. Fair enough – as Frost Children presented plenty of new sounds that would take time to digest if you weren’t accustomed to it. I loved their on-stage presence. At one point, they began mentioning a variety of sights they saw in Houston, then stuttered on one location… beginning their
next song, “OBSESSED.” At one point, Lulu and Angel (the duo behind Frost Children) came within arm’s length of the audience to let some of them play on their keyboard. Their eccentric personalities and youthful energies came as a welcomed change of pace to how the night was going.
It was finally time for the man, myth, and legend George Clanton to take the stage. He humbly showed up on stage roughly 15 minutes before his start time to set up and test his instruments. As the crowd chanted his name, he remained focused on connecting his power supplies and messing around with lighting. He opened with “Livin’ Loose,” one of my all-time favorites off his 2018 album “Slide.” The energy of the venue shifted. Surrounded by two piles of retro televisions, some smoke, and a few lasers, George put on some stylish glasses and looked like his inner kid was having the time of his life. Everyone looked to be in a fused state of elated peace and high anticipation. The energy wasn’t ever too high, nor was it low. It remained “neutrally euphoric.” Throughout his performance, he also passed into the audience section to throw some water around and high-five some fans. George ended his set with “I Been Young,” solidifying George’s internal Peter Pan showcased earlier in the performance. I left the venue feeling a bit more inspired than I did going in – not because of the rollercoaster ride that is a typical concert experience, but because it felt like George was someone who could continue his passion for music, jamming out and having fun with a somewhat-carefree attitude. He’s having fun livin’ loose, and it’s a beauty to see (and hear).
