Following his appearance at this summer’s OVO Fest, JAMES BLAKE returned to Toronto and ultimately proved that while he may be “a God to men” (to faded Etsy girls), he’s a creative intellect that operates on his own level. His performance at the Kool Haus was a hundred times better than any other we’ve ever seen (Lee’s Palace and Austin’s Central Presbyterian Church included) and even in a larger spot, it was intimate and unwaveringly decapitating. After a rousing set by L.A.’s NOSAJ THING, Blake unwrapped with digital soul (“I Never Learnt To Share”) and a blinding hit (“Life Round Here”) before settling into Overgrown’s glitchy roar, his CMYK and Klavierwerke extended plays, and those covers of Feist and Joni Mitchell. At a total of 18 tracks, the Londoner held his own – even more so if you consider everyone was left looking like a deer in the headlights once “Measurements” helped with closing up shop.
