Electric Sex Panther

Phillips Backyard Weekender, Victoria BC, July 20

Photo: Lindsey Blane

BY Alan RantaPublished Jul 21, 2018

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Victoria's evolving R&B/soul collective Electric Sex Panther presented as a six-piece band between keys, drums, bass, guitar and two saxophones, with at least four vocalists joining them onstage. Their lead singer is Quinn Bates, a man with a powerful falsetto so silky it could butter bread, while Felicity Baker's lead on their cover of Roberta Flack's "Feel Like Makin' Love" showed she was no slouch in that department either.
 
Mid-set, Alexa Verstraten and OG member of the ESP family Lucas Bell, both of whom perform in a similarly genre-focused group Grapefruit Is Impossible, joined them to throw down some feel-good rhymes with bedroom eyes. After rocking their bars, they moved to the middle of the dance floor and held each other. What an adorable couple.
 
Not to be outdone by the wordsmiths, Kiaran McMillan flashed some choice guitar skills in his solo, while Andrew "Lone Ranger" Greenwood, wearing the shirt of the band he is in, brought sexy sax back with his turns. Adding in those smooth soul keys and warm bass, the whole group was as tight as a mouse's condom, no matter who was onstage.

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