Hot Take – Bring the Heat Festival 2023
Presented by Half-Moon Music // Hosted by Ashford York, Cara Zayn, Bada$$ Morales, Maliah Hope Aguilar
Los Angeles, California, USA
JULY 17, 2023
Ashford: Alright ladies, we’re all back in work mode following a weekend of live music that was very much long overdue. It feels like we all lost something a couple of years ago when the live music industry was shut down and we’ve seen tours happen over the past year or so now, but this was the first major gathering over an extended period time and I can’t speak for you all, but for me, it felt very liberating to be able to find yourself in this crowd and of course for us to enjoy some of the more exclusive luxuries during this past weekend. Of course we’re talking about the ‘Bring the Heat Festival’ which I think overall was a huge success.
So essentially, to those that are new to this my name is Ashford and I’m joined by the elite and these days very elusive ‘Cara Zayn’, alongside her for the first time on ‘Hot Take’ is the feverish energy of ‘Bada$$ Morales’ and making it three for three on these discussions is the ever positive ray of light that is ‘Maliah Hope Aguilar’. So basically we made a list of every performer from this past weekend and we attached our names to each one that we wanted to highlight, we’ll talk a little about the performance and what we liked or didn’t like and then open it up for discussion. It’s a simple premise, so let’s have some fun and get into it.
First up, opening the festival was Cerys Nyland and I was blown away by the performance. I had zero expectations going into the festival that Cerys would be a standout from the entire weekend due to the fact that she’s somewhat of a newcomer, but I think she stepped up in a big to not only open the festival but to play an eighteen song setlist to kick things off and do it so confidently. I’m always a champion for guitar based music, I think rock music in any form is in very short supply in the industry and has been for a very long time, so to see a young musician with a guitar hanging over her shoulder and the confidence to deliver in front of a crowd of this size, it gives me hope. You all know me by now, I can get swept up in hyperbole but I mean it when I say this is the first time in a long time that I’ve felt reinvigorated in the belief that rock music can become the primary genre once again.
Cara: I personally can’t see the industry going that way in the future, but fuck! It was great to see a young artist step out onto that stage and open the entire festival, playing guitar and delivering such a confident and unique performance. She’s definitely a name I’m going to be keeping an eye out for, the kid fucking crushed what was a very difficult spot to be in. Nothing but respect for her.
Bada$$ Morales: Thickmouse, I lost my shit in that crowd. We had the backstage passes, you guys watched from the wings but I wanted to get the authentic experience. Pushed my way to the front and didn’t regret it. She fuckin’ came out with attitude and I just lost my shit. Ya got ya girl Morales front row, just vibing to her set, when she covered Liyah, it finished me off. I ain’t even playin’ this shit cool, I said it on Twitter. She managed to cast a spell over me, for real. She got me anyway she fuckin’ wants!
Cara: Yeah, you fuckin’ bailed on Japanese Cartoon’s set. We had the shots lined up side-stage and you were gone on your mouse hunt. Which begs the question, just how thick was that mouse?
Bada$$ Morales: No comment.
Maliah: I was impressed with the performance, it was another pretty new act to kick the festival off but I thought she killed it. I was probably more familiar with her social media account than her music but she’s a talent, for sure.
Cara: We knew I was taking this one, but Japanese Cartoon. My bro turning into a top level music star. For as well as I knew him, this is one career path I never thought he would end up taking. But yeah, I’ve spoken enough about his music in the past. Just gonna keep it simple and say he fucking killed it, I think they’re paving the way for a rock-oriented revival if anybody is and I’m super proud of what he’s doing.
Bada$$ Morales: Younghood, I still don’t know what the fuck to feel. Outta everybody at that point, he was the first one to really push the production value of his show with the video screen intro and shit. The drama shit, it’s fun for me because I get to talk about that shit and it’s a hot topic. But this time around, I think he takes the L on this one cause it’s like from the outside looking in, Drew’s moving on with his own shit. It ain’t even really been a thing recently so it makes you ask if Younghood is putting the beef back in the spotlight because he needs that shit. I’m conflicted over it, I think legit Younghood is the best around at what he does but he would have been better off letting his music speak for itself. Ya know ya girl likes the drama, but it felt like he’s still holding on to some shit that it doesn’t look like Drew is holding onto anymore. I could have this all wrong, but for real it left a sour taste in my mouth as a fan.
Ashford: I understand, but from a performance aspect. Putting everything surrounding the intro to one side, he puts on a performance better than most artists in the industry in my opinion. He’d be top of my list if I could see any current artist live.
Maliah: I took Kyle, I feel like maybe he was overshadowed by the end of the entire festival. But night one for me he was the best show, he only performed a couple of songs but the energy and just the joy of everybody around me during his set was probably unmatched for me. Yeah, I wanted to take this one because I feel like he will come out of this festival very underrated and I think he deserved his flowers.
Ashford: I understand what you mean, but when you’re following Kidd Amaze on opening night, you’re gonna immediately be forgotten about because for me, the set from Kidd was the highlight of the entire weekend. I know you can say that he may have put himself in the most favourable position as the first headliner on opening night. But from the moment he came out onto that stage, he set himself up as the absolute king. Morales, you spoke about Younghood in those terms, but I think even he’d have to step aside for this guy. He backs up everything he has to say in his music and he talks a big game, but honestly, he proved to everybody that he is an all-time great.
Cara: I wish I could fight that statement, but I can only agree.
Bada$$ Morales: You’re right. It’s not what I go for, but it’s not meant for me. I can appreciate his talent, for sure.
Cara: I’m going to put these two together, because that is what god intended. Atomic War Bride and The Harlots, of course I’m somewhat biased. But they show up at every festival when there is one, or every award show when there is one and they both deliver an entertaining show every time. They have fun and when the acts onstage are really fucking having fun, it naturally shines off onto the audience too. The Lydia intro song, fucking wrecked me and that for me was my lasting memory from the weekend. That’s the type of shit that I’m going to remember more from this weekend than anything else. Iconic, what more can be said.
Ashford: I alluded to this one over the weekend, so I thought I would take this next one. Danny K. I think the crowd were hotter for him than at any other point in the weekend, they were frenzied. In terms of the actual performance, I think he did a great job. He put on a show with confidence and high energy. I think he fed off of the crowd and the fed off of him. I think the hype train over the weekend put unnecessary pressure on his shoulders ahead of his performance, there was a period where if you went onto social media it was constant promo hyping up the performance. I think part of that is down to his fanbase but a lot of it was down to very detailed promotional tools from his management. I said it over the weekend, I wouldn’t mind getting the contact details for whoever was in charge of that promotional run. For me, I think the end result would have been the exact same either way, he debuted his new single at the show and then dropped it after the festival finished, it’s going to be the same result whether that level of promotion was given or not. It’s got number one written all over it and It’ll be a giant hit, no doubt about it.
Maliah: Ashford! You totally don’t sound like a bitter old man.
Ashford: I’m sure he dealt with it fine, but I couldn’t help but feel like it was putting a lot of pressure on him. There was a period over the weekend before his performance where his name was trending more than the festival itself. I get it, it just felt very clinical and a little, I don’t want to say inhumane because that’s too much but it just didn’t quite sit right with me. Obviously it didn’t seem to affect him, he put on a great performance and will take that momentum forward. But I just feel like the end result would still be the same because he’s clearly talented and his song is incredible.
Cara: I get what you’re saying, but we’re moving on now. Tahlia debuted, didn’t know too much about her. Still probably don’t know too much about her, but she put on a good show. She was sexy with it, if we ever relaunch my ‘Dirty Mouth INC’ touring troupe, I feel like she could fit in well as our resident singer. I think her two original songs were just fine, they’ll be decent pop tracks or club bangers but I’m not sure if she’ll deliver anything we haven’t experienced before. I love that she covered Suzie and Andrea, “Boots” is a fucking anthem to me, so I love seeing it get it’s props. But yeah, she did a good job, not too much to say on that one.
Maliah: I’ve got the next three, guys. Camille looked like a total pro up there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her live before, so it was great to see her do her thing, I think she’s got some really underrated RnB songs and so it was great to hear those live. Diego Lopez followed and I thought he totally killed it, he’s got that vibe that I like and he got the crowd totally hyped up for his performance. He did three songs and honestly I enjoyed it more than some of the bigger setlists we had seen, he had three absolute hits and I loved it.
Cara: We agreed for you to take the next one, but I’m still salty about it.
Maliah: We agreed! … okay, we can share this one. It was Dae Ho Park and I love his music, but he’s another that I’ve never had the chance to see perform live, so this was a treat all around for me. He had an amazing setlist and his energy was next level, I feel like he really turned up the heat on the entire festival. I was sort of a fan in passing before the festival, but now I’m actively checking out his catalogue.
Cara: Yeah, I fully agree with everything said. He came out, set the stage on fire. Brought the energy and a strong setlist. I think a lot of people like to perform as many songs as they can push into their timeslot, but the key is to go for your very best ones and keep it tight. He brought out Drew which was a pleasant surprise and I think as much as Ashford thought Kidd stole he show, I think for me Dae killed it on a different scale.
Bada$$ Morales: My sis was late onstage, but eventually got out there. Kara Romero. I spoke to her afterwards and there was some sort of issues, maybe a lil drama but she got out there eventually. She’s in the middle of her tour, so she was fully in that headspace to just show up and deliver. I think she had not so much time to soundcheck and shit, but she brought her vibes out there for us. Seeing Lotus and Younghood join her onstage was a highlight, she delivered a strong speech and drank champagne from the bottle. Iconic!
Ashford: Layla was the penultimate act this weekend, as soon as she came out onstage she just brought with her so much energy and absolute unbridled joy. It felt like a carnival atmosphere and it felt like she came out there with the mindset to make this the most fun time. For somebody with the back catalogue of Layla, she kept the setlist very tight, performing five absolute smashes and even brought Joshua Grimmie out onstage with her which was a very welcome sight. I’ve said many times over the past few years that I believe Layla is the generational talent that we have right now, for me she has everything in her skill set to be one of the all-time greats and this performance just highlights that thought process. Everything about it was so sharp and professional, the timing, the stage performance, the vocals and the energy which didn’t let up. A true performer.
Cara: And that ass huh … looks like there’s a new kid in town.
Bada$$ Morales: And the last ones to go, Jasmine Charm stepped up in a big way. Those three girls are powerhouses, we’ve featured them on ‘The Culture’ a few times and I was so fuckin’ hype to be in the crowd for this one. It was towards the end of the weekend, but they kept the energy big and got that sass and attitude right. They fuckin’ killed it, like pros. Felt like a proud big sis, watching them do their thing.
Ashford: Alright, that covers every performer. Overall, what was your brief thoughts on the festival.
Cara: It played out like a dream. Felt like much needed therapy for everybody in that crowd. Couple of minor timing issues, but artists can be assholes and temperamental so I have no doubt it was difficult behind the scenes. Respect to the organisers for putting this on.
Bada$$ Morales: I’ve got a lot of love for the guys at Just Record, they didn’t just highlight their own artists. They showcased a lot of great stuff. Backstage they were a fuckin’ dream to be around and accommodated everybody, no issues. The entire weekend was a fuckin’ party and I loved every second.
Maliah: Yeah, it felt amazing to get to watch live music in a festival setting once again. It’s something I missed a lot and I’m so happy they managed to pull this whole thing off and not have another Fyre Festival.
Ashford: Yeah, this is something I was very interested in seeing how it played out. There’s so many different elements at play during these things, so to see everybody hanging out backstage and enjoying themselves and seeing the spotlight being shone on live music once again was a great thing to see. Like I said, it’s something I was personally invested in seeing. It’s an idea we’ve thrown around ourselves at Half-Moon Music and hope to be able to do someday, I definitely took some notes on how to do things. Overall, a great time was had. It was much needed.
