SSION, House of Ladosha Club Dada Saturday, November 3
SSION (pronounced 'shun'), led by Kansas City art student turned touring performer Cody Critcheloe, played an engaging set Saturday night at Club Dada. There were no elaborate costumes, projections or set designs (as one may expect from Critcheloe), but the performance was entertaining all the same. Backed by three bandmates, he enthusiastically rallied the crowd, yelling, "Dallas!" after nearly every song, as if he were in a stadium instead of a barely-packed Deep Ellum club. The all-ages crowd pushed itself close to the stage, danced and sang along to the hook-heavy set and snapped a ton of cellphone pictures.
Critcheloe's performance came off sincere, as did his affection for his fans. He jumped off the stage several times throughout the performance, called everybody up on stage at the end, and lingered at the t-shirt booth, signing autographs and snapping pics with eager fans.
Opening act House of Ladosha took the stage at 10p.m. sharp. The New York duo of Antonio Blair ("Dosha Devastation") and Adam Radakovich ("Cunty Crawford Ladosha") spit rhymes and struck poses during their high-energy, gender-bending performance. Blair, who sported an impressively long goatee, also rocked a pair of floral skinny jeans, stiletto heels, an enormous pearl necklace and a Betty Page wig. Six-foot, eleven-inch Radakovich performed in skin-tight black biker shorts, combat boots, a sequin belt and black cap with the words "Ladosha" written on the front. The duo made reference to money, supermodels and the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning, as passers-by snapped photos through the window.
Random note: Class Actress was scheduled to play, but never did.
Overheard: A young(ish), boy clad in hot pink skinny jeans, a gold lame top, sparkly three-inch stilettos and a blonde Marilyn Monroe meets Any Warhol wig, smoking on the patio and singing: "I don't give a fa fa fa fa fa fuck!"
