TALK, a singer-songwriter rock artist from Canada, gives Raleigh a night of laughs, incredible guitar solos, and unpredictability. After releasing his debut album, Lord of the Flies and Birds and Bees, TALK embarks on a three-month tour through the United States and Canada.

Before the show even begins, the crowd is already erupting with uncontrollable energy. The lights black out, and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen in full plays out loud. Every member of the crowd sings along, singing to the air, to their friends, with enthusiastic hands in the air.

In just a few songs into the set, TALK doesn’t hesitate to express his gratitude towards the high energy and interactive audience of Raleigh, North Carolina. He shares many interactions with audience members, speaking directly to them and going back and forth with a few individuals.

During the show, TALK described the story of how he was unintentionally being widely recognized for inventing a made up sport; the Croc Kick. Before proceeding to demonstrate the Croc Kick, he waves to the left and middle of the pit and exclaims, “everyone in this area is at risk,” insinuating that anyone in the general area may be struck by one of his Crocs. After the shoes were kicked into the crowd, he did not get them back, unlike most other times when they would be returned. TALK, however, did not care; he proceeded to perform the rest of the show barefoot. New crocs were even attempted to be given to him, but he refused.

One of the Crocs was caught by a kid named Archer, who was accompanied by his parents during the show. More than a few times, TALK makes jokes directly to Archer and the kid doesn’t hesitate to clap back. TALK apologizes to his parents about having a potty mouth. Throughout the rest of the show, TALK asks questions directly to Archer between songs.

Archer attempted to give back the croc later in the show, but the band refused. At that moment, TALK invited Archer up to the stage to have his croc signed. The crowd erupted in coos at the cute moment.

Providing some of the most hilarious commentary during a set I’ve witnessed, his creative wit and quick comebacks had the audience erupt in short bursts of laughter.

“I like to embrace chaos,” said TALK.

In the middle of the set, TALK provided a time to show off his band. To prove so, he introduces the members that join him on stage, and supplies a challenge; the audience must request any classic rock song with a heavy guitar part and they would sing it on the spot. The band took 3 requests: a song from the School of Rock soundtrack, Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf, and Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns and Roses. TALK admitted that the guitarist was feeding lyrics of Born to Be Wild to him, as he didn’t fully remember them.

TALK ends his set by once again sharing his love for the city and how special his time in North Carolina was. As the tour comes to a close, he agrees that Raleigh as a tour stop was, “saving best for 5th last.”

To close out the show, TALK ends his night with a few heartfelt closing remarks, and by bringing Archer on stage with his signed Croc for a final bow.

Accompanying TALK on tour is Zinadelpha, while introducing herself, shares that she is from Philly, hence her name. Zinadelphia gave us a groovy, synth dream pop set to start off the night with strong vocals and meticulous sample tracks. Zinadelphia exclaims, “I live a Hannah Montana lifestyle,” as she describes her music journey. She isn’t afraid to share that she still lives with her parents and works at a thrift store. But, in her first year of taking music seriously, she has now gone on three tours.

The highlight of her set is a slowed down cover of, “I Will Survive,” by Gloria Gaynor, with a beautiful bass loop to support the vocals.

TALK is over halfway through the Lord of the Flies and Birds and Bees tour and almost complete with the US leg. Canada dates will remain in May, so don’t miss TALK on tour when you have the chance!