As we took our seats in the dimly lit theatre, set up in the round with a striking centerpiece of metallic columns and lights suspended above a large circular table, we genuinely did not know what to expect from Dream Feed by The HawtPlates. Various musical instruments were carefully placed around the stage and throughout the audience, hinting at something immersive yet undefined.
The lights dropped into complete blackout, and we could sense bodies moving quietly into place, surrounding the table. The audience became entirely still in anticipation. An ethereal musical drone emerged as our eyes adjusted to the darkness, the only sound filling the space.
After a perfectly timed pause that built the tension even further, the drone gave way to the sound of rainfall. Then the exquisite harmonies of the three members of The HawtPlates (Jade Hicks, Kenita Miller-Hicks and Justin Hicks) began. Their voices blended effortlessly, demonstrating strong musicality and a perfect balance, with each performer evenly matched in tone, control, and presence. As a family-based group, their connection was unmistakable.
The first song described the moment of awakening, looking out of a window at the dawn of a new day. As it unfolded, the three characters came to life in their avant-garde costumes, circling the stage and drawing us into their world.
As each song transitioned into the next, the stage subtly shifted to match the mood through the clever use of an exceptional lighting design by Tuçe Yasak. At times the space was filled with wondrous shafts of light, while at others it was dimly and delicately lit to reveal only the singers’ faces. This guided the audience’s focus and helped highlight the emotional core of each piece.
The music carried us through the space between being awake and asleep, unfolding a series of dreamlike moments that explored themes of family acceptance, love, and death; each section directed with skill by Phillip Howze.
It was clear we were in the presence of true musical artists. Their ability to control their voices, combined with the precision of every movement, whether striking an instrument, playing a drum, or simply placing hands on the table in perfect time with the music, was deeply impressive. New instruments were gradually revealed throughout the performance, emerging from the dust gathered at the center of the stage and the metallic columns spotted at the start of the show were revealed to be tubular bells that the performers expertly struck, forming long-ringing chords that provided the undertones upon which the delightful vocal harmonies were built.
Because the songs flowed continuously, with hardly a pause for applause, the experience felt like listening to a new album for the first time. That familiar feeling of pressing play and eagerly following the music as it unfolds without interruption.
Overall, this was a truly magical experience. Being immersed in such spine tingling musicality, performed live in such an intimate space supported by a superb sound design by Sean T. Davis left us unusually speechless. It took a full fifteen minutes before we could begin to process what we had just witnessed, let alone start to discuss it, as we made our way to the subway.
In this world of big tech supremacy, AI generated content and the ever present battle for control; extraordinary creativity and perfect execution as demonstrated by the HawtPlates shows resistance and gives hope for those who value originality and the irreplaceable human-led creative process.
We are excited to hear the music again (already searching online platforms to no avail) and looking forward to what comes next. We can safely say The HawtPlates have two new fans. Thanks for the wonderful experience.
For more from The HawtPlates see: https://instagram.com/thehawtplates
We are giving this 5 / 5 D’s (D D D D D)
