Band of Skulls and the Whigs
Mod Club |04.28.10
7.5/10
It was a nice warm night in the city to check out one of my latest faves, Band of Skullsat the Mod Club on Thursday night. I’ve had a heart-on for this trio ever since hearing their catchy, head boppy track ,”I Know What I Am” last year. I can’t get enough of guy/girl vocal combos these days (ala The XX and Stars), and the blend of Russell Marsden’s raspy rocker and Emma Richardson’s warm sound is no exception.
Montreal’s Silver Starling opened the night with a short set of indie pop to warm the crowd. They were troubled with some sound issues; the bass overdrive and subwoofer was set to sloppy nightclub, and vocals were washed out. I also found lead vocalist Marcus Paquin’s voice wasn’t strong enough to carry the band, but it could have been the mixing issues (did you do a soundcheck?), which is a shocker as the Mod Club typically has great sound. The best songs of the night were “Closer” and “Something for Nothing” – the rolling drums and pulsing melodic sound was quite infectious, showing essences of the Stills/Arcade Fire.
The Whigs exploded onto the stage with a high octane set of garage rock. Lead vocals/guitarist Parker Gispert was a real showman with his Liu Kang karate kicks and speaker jumping antics. I was personally enthralled by the shag bopping stylings of drummer Julian Dorio, reminding of the Muppets’ Animal. He was the true key in driving their gritty power chord rock, with his smash-happy crash symbols and heart stomping bass drums. Their hit, “Like a Vibration” had a much stronger attack and grit than their recorded version, pumping up the crowd.
Once the Whigs left the stage, I was saddened to see about a quarter of the crowd bail before the Band of Skulls came on stage. I realize that the Whigs are more more established, and perhaps should’ve closed the night, but at least give them a chance!
Band of Skulls was smart to begin with a few of their known and heavier tunes “Light of the Morning” and “Diamands and Pearls”. Lead Marsden’s vocals were bang on and drew me right into their sound, even if the rest of the crowd was ready for bed. Emma Richardson wasn’t as strong as I would’ve liked, at times going a little over zealous at times with her vocals, likely to keep up with Marsen.
But overall I did find their stage presence a little lack lustre, with at times facing their backs to the crowd for a little too long and stiff banter with the crowd. To their defense, the crowd was quite drowsy and still coming down from the Whigs’ set.
What also didn’t help was playing their 7-minute rendition of “Cold Flame”, which happens to be one of my favourite tracks from their title album, “Baby Doll Face Honey”. I’ve always equated this track to be a cathartic finishing piece to cap off a hard party night. Placing it right in the middle of their set of wasn’t best choice in keeping the drowsy crowd awake.
Once they kicked it back up a notch with “I know what I am” and crowd favourite “Blood”, the energy did rise, but it never peaked. Was it a little too late? Thankfully, their encores “Hollywood Bowl” and “Honest” (see clip below) left on a good note, showing potential of what could have been.
Video: “Honest” by Band of Skulls (Clip)
Despite being overshadowed by The Whigs, overall The Band of Skulls did put on a decent show. With such a great breakout album, I’m still amazed that they haven’t caught on yet. After their tour this summer, they’ll back in the studios to recorded their follow up album. Perhaps then, they’ll get the attention they deserve.
Undivided. That was the attention Kristian Matsson aka Tallest Man on Earth commanded from the well-dressed folk/indie crowd this cold Saturday night. It was a sold out show and highly anticipated return from this unassumingly sweet Swedish singer/songwriter. His intense scrawl stopped even the peanut gallery from the back bar to have a listen.
It can be tough for any solo act to fill out a half drunk crowd on any night, not to mention at the Elmo. Nurses opened the night with an unmemorable set of yowls, tambourines, singalongs and tings that I could have personally lived without.
TMOE ran though his repetoire effortlessly with a powerful voice distinctly familiar to Dylan, Gutherie, Bon Iver, among others. As blatant a similarity to the similarities to the great folk songwriters from the past, TMOE still maintained his own unique European sound that make it his own. Highlights included his passionate “The Gardner”, “Honey won’t you let me in”, “King of Spain” and “Where do my bluebird fly”. Matsson has great energy and movement during his intricate fingerpicking interludes, bouncing back and forth around the stage and making mysterious eye contact with whatever random crowd-folk he’d come across.
What stunned me most was the silence throughout most of the the set. Granted, there were still a few balks and clinks from empties from the back bar, but overall the crowd was here to really listen to TMOE..and I mean listen. This included minimal use of flash photography and blurry cell phone snapshots, or even beer runs.The aggressive shushing and the odd “shut the fuck up” only further demonstrated the miliant attention the crowd demanded. This undivided attention only amplified his music, lyrics and stage presence.
TMOE even ended with a quiet love song, rather than a Dylan-esque power strum finale for his encore. It was a gutsy move, but it paid off in spades. The crowd stayed with him until the very end, uncovering how tall this little man’s music really is.
I love those Friday nights after a long work week when plans suddenly come together on the fly. It was one of those evenings when I came across the melodic country/folk sounds of Sunfields at Rancho Relaxo, despite the bone marrow chilling temperature that night.
Sunfields is the brainchild of frontman and lead singer Jason Kent fromthe Dears. For a relatively new band, you could sense they’re experience and maturity as musicians. From their solid vocal harmonies, grassroots country guitars and a touch of pop, you couldn’t help but listen. Late in their set Jason put on an incredible trio piano set of melodic ballads that had a lot of potential to be a crowd favourite. You could sense Neil Young, Wilco and Joel Plaskett in their music and couldn’t help but want to hear more.
Keep your eye out for these guys when they release their first album.
Thunderheist w/Everything All the Time
Mod Club
12.03.09
It’s been quite an electric 3 years for Thunderheist’s power duo, Isus and DJ/producer Grahm Zilla. This was their final show before they take some time to pursue their own solo projects. It comes at a good time for them, riding the heels of their wildly successful self titled release in March 2009.
Up-and-coming electro-pop band Everything All the Timebegan the night. They’re quite a peculiar bunch, with some members looking more like they were heading straight from the set of the O.C. to a rock show.
Lead singer Alanna Stuart sported a sharp business casual look as she sauntered onto the stage, looking a little reserved in her mannerisms; perhaps it was the nerves, or perhaps it was the fact that she could be roasting in her multi-layered “you aint seeing any of my skin” look.
Wardrobes aside, Everything All The Time executed their job well: getting the crowd moving and warmed up. Stuart has a sharp soulful voice with some attitude, surprising us with her vocal range and use of dynamics. I can see her voice only getting stronger as they grow. Stuart executed her job was lead vocalist onstage to promote the band, by naturally slipping their name into banter between songs. No one in the crowd would leave without thinking “that opener was great. What was their name again?”
Standout winners in their set were “Getting Higher,” a warm and uplifting indie-pop tune, and “Start. Stop,” an explosive closer that showcased Stuart’s vocal range and the bands’ ability to drive a solid beat. Their losing song turned the crowd into Thundergear – the barely 19 year-olds at the front of the stage were ready party, with or without the band.
Isus rocked onthe stage with an incredible outfit made from seat belts, with her tiny body all wrapped in a corset. As their final performance asThunderheist before pursuing solo projects, it was clear the band was ready to go out with a bang.
Boy, did they deliver. They played a great blend of old and new tracks, and worked the crowd like no other. Isus even had the crowd waving to her parents, watching safely in the balcony. The show felt more like a farewell party for friends, rather than a performance. A few times during the show Isus would stop midway and yell cheekily, “ah fuck it. I fucked up. We need to do it RIGHT so let’s do THAT one again!”
They played all the crowd favourites including “Bubblegum,” “Suenos Dulces,” and the infamous “Jerk it”. Mom was proud.
Although they were having a great time, there was a sense of passing for this project that started as an exchange of .mp3’s over myspace. Rather than riding the wave to a faded wash on the beach, this band has decided to take a bow while the wave is crashing into the shore. As much as I do appreciate their explosive electro-rap get your ass moving deal, this was a limited wave couldn’t sustain its tsunami dance level for too much longer. Look out for what Isus and Zilla come out with in their own projects in the near future.
Since catching Woodhands at Hillside, I’ve been yearning to see them again. I was wondering how they would fare, opening for an 90s-inspired down-tempo synth pop duo. Although the Jr. Boys crowd weren’t actually prepared for their high octane brand of skat, intense beats and frequencies, they were going to get it full on.
I was in awe over drummer Paul Banwatt’s intense drumming style, relentlessly attacking the snare and cymbals with robotic precision. Rather than keeping up with the electro-funk beats and heavy bass drummed up by Dan Web (vocals/synths/key-tar), Banwatt drove the rhythm locomotive, thus showing that you DON’T need to replace the drummer with a cold beat box.
Dan Web was also fantastic in keeping the crowd pumped. His tourette skats fused with his key-tar were memorizing and showing the hesitant crowd that Vancouver nerds can rock. By the end of their set, when they performed ‘Dance” they just started to wake the crowd, leaving them wanting more. It was a perfect set up for the headliner. The duo are poised to release a new album in the new year, spending the winter to lock themselves up to finish it. It should be a killer album, based on the tracks they were testing in the crowd tonight.
Junior Boys returned to the stage from a long Euro-tour. “It’s been ages since we’ve been back home,” announced vocalist/keyboards/guitarist, Jeremy Greenspan. “It’s so nice to be back.” It was an eclectic crowd who had clearly been following the band for a number of years now – they seemed to know most of their music. The band quickly broke into their groove and tranced the crowd with their contagiously ambient electro-pop music.
It was a nice touch adding some visual interest through green lazers and an overzealous use of a smoke machine. They played a solid set of tunes stemming across many of their albums, including hits “In the Morning”, “Like a Child” and “So This is Goodbye”.
Many times through their set, it felt like the music simmered just before boiling point – it needed just one more ‘umph’ to push them over the proveribal stovetop. I take this as more akin to the late 80s/early 90s synth music they were pushing out, vs. their live performance… but compared to the explosive opening Woodhands set, the contrast was all the more poignant.
What didn’t help was their choice of a ballad to close their set, slowing it down to a close flatline. “So we’re gonna leave you with a slow one.. we’ll just wimper away.” Wimper? Not exactly the best way to leave the crowd, and some decided to call it a night though the song – But most of the crowd didn’t look like they seemed to mind. It still begs the question, why leave the crowd on such a downer?
Their one-song encore, however, did pick up the pace and resulted in a few people crowd even crowd surfing, making the song more upbeat than it honestly suggested. It was clear they were ready to finish off in a party, regardless of what the Boys put out (many walked straight upstairs to the Dance Cave to let out the rest of their pent up energy after the show). All in all it was still good show, playing in one of the best concert venues in the city.
Ever since coming across Reid Jamieson about 5 years ago, floored from his acoustic EP “Noise in my Chest,” I’ve been meaning to see him live. Ever since he moved to Vancouver, it has been tougher and tougher to catch him. I was lucky enough to hear about his return to Toronto last Wednesday.
Walking into the Rivoli, I was taken aback by the revamp of it’s typically drab (yet intimate) backspace. The space was transformed into a classic 1940s-inspired jazz bar, complete with tables w/white table cloths and candle lights. Not bad for a quick turnaround; enough so you didn’t care much about the plastic patio chairs and sticky floors from the previous weekend’s shenanigans.
Guelph folk darling Jessie Bell Smith kicked off the night with a solo set of gutteral roosty songs about old age homes, dead mice and drunken jagermeister. Bell has a commanding raspy twang with the potential of great dames Etta James, Janis and Emma Lou Harris,powerful enough to fill the room without a mic. I wished she opened our eyes more as she was belted out those raw alto notes to strengthen her already powerful connection to the audience during her set. She has a ton of potential – look out for her as she grows and returns backed by full band.
Coming straight off the heels of a successful tour with CBC’s Vinyl Cafewith Stewart McLean, Reid Jamieson came onto the stage to a warm and comforting crowd of close friends and family, including a few folks the Skydiggers. His elation and emotion came through very strongly, as if he was putting on a special show in his own living room. Jamieson was very professional and polite in his demenour, playing songs from his albums The Unavoidable Truth, The Presley Sessions, and his new EP, Courting Juniper, coming out this month.
Jessie Bell Smith came onstage to sing Paperback Fantasy, one the highlights of the night. Unfortunately he did not play any of his evocative and intimately private songs from his Noise in My Chest release, but it had been over 5 years since its release.
Although he started polite and professional off the gates, Jamieson loosened up to become his alter-elvis ego for his set of Elvis songs, and closing with a fun cover of Natural Woman. Looking forward to hearing his next album of (presumably) knee-shaking heartbreak tunes and sweet love songs – something for which I can never seem to get enough.
I had no idea what to expect as I walked into the Rivoli last Saturday night. What initially brought me into the bar was to see the return of an icelandic band, Sprengjuhollin (pronounced “spreeg-guuee-hollin”) who performed here at the same venue at March. How often do you get to see a band from Iceland?
Sprengjuhollin have been on a Canadian tour, playing in the East Coast and in Montreal before returning back to the big smoke. With their arty Norwegian look, they sprung onto stage with tons of energy and punch. Atli Bollason (piano/back up vocals) was charged as the lead frontman in getting the crowd into their music. Although no one had seen them a few months ago, or even heard of their existence before that night, the band was ready to party.
Sprengjuhollin put in a fun bouncy set of pop, egging the crowd to move up from hiding in the back bar to “get into it” with them. They did pause from their jumping, head banging and guitar raising to give a quick lesson in Icelandic pronunciation: teaching the crowd how to stay their name!
Their acoustic track, “Worry til spring”was a standout, showing us they had more to offer than a Saturday night drunken jump ‘n dance act. The lead singer had a sweet Sunday morning voice, and reminding me of Copenhagen’s darling, Teitur(planes and airplanes album). There were some issues with EQ levels through their set, to the point where it sounded like white noise on some of their faster and louder numbers. It never stopped these lads from having a great time and enjoying their time on stage. I’m looking forward to hearing more from this band as they grow from their icelandic roots and into the English pop music scene.
Winhara exploded onto the stage with a strong set of powerpop and synth (think a cross between Muse and The Killers), combined with an light show you wouldn’t expect from an indie band at the Rivoli. It was clear they had an eye for details, and kudos to them for that – they understood that experimenting alt-rock with electronic can mean layer disaster and gimmicky if you don’t watch yourself. All their songs had a strong musicality to them, and you could sense their progression from alternative to the electro-rock space.
There was some good energy in the crowd, despite a trio of drunk guys at the front of the stage who were a little over zealous in showing their love of the band. I understand that “friend-power” spark the beginnings of success, but sometimes this love can take away from the experience to others… especially when bashing into them or shouting like bandits on a cowboy manhunt. Is this better than a stone cold comatose crowd? Or the ambivalent yet noisy peanut gallery in the back bar during Dan Mangan’s intimate acoustic set?
All frat boys aside, I was impressed with one of their newer electronic songs, “Five Alarm”with an infectious electronic beat and power vocals.Their title track, “Hold Back Light Show”was full of OK GO fun, and something you could easily hear on the radio. Their encore cover ofDepeche Mode’s Precious (below)was also impressive and something I’m hoping they continue to explore their synth experimentation as they head back into the studio this winter.
Winhara put on a well crafted show and show lots of potential. They want it and you can feel it. I’ll be looking out to see them when they return in 2010.
It’s been a few years since i’ve had the chance to see Metric. I missed the2008 show at Sound Academy, mostly on account of their playing at worst concert venue in Toronto – below the Air Canada Centre. The last time I caught them was at the Phoenix to promote their sophomore release, “Let It Out”.
It was nice to find out that Metric had grown into to the historic Massey Hall, similar to her Broken Social Scene chanteuse counterpart Feist had performed in last year. It was an all-Canadian evening with Montreal’s seasoned indie rock veterans The Stills opening the night with a high intensity set. They did a great job at firing up the crowd and building the excitement for the headliner. Lead singer Tim Fletcher encouraged those on the floors to get off their seats and come up to the stage, thereby opening the floodgates and indirectly giving permission for fans to charge forward once Metric hit the stage. They put on a solid set, playings songs from all three of their albums and putting on a show of their own.
Once the lights dimmed for Metric, the crowd followed suit from the opening act by charging the stage. It was great to see everyone on the floors as well as a good 2/3 of the second and third level on their feet for most of their 1.5 hr set. Emily bounced her way onto the stage wearing gold from head to toe, ala indie lady gaga outfit with attitude.
From their beginnings of high energy synth-rock of their first album, the angst ridden feminism from their second album, and positive message in their latest release, you could feel a sense of maturity and pure music professionalism in their music. Now hitting nearly 6 years since they broke into the scene with their first official release “Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?” in 2003, they’ve become season veterans in putting on a solid rock show.
Whether it be Emily’s robotic cheerleader dance moves (some definitely self-choreographed) and raw impassioned expressions, or post-modern Apple nation set design, Metric were in their element and captivated the audience from beginning to end. Emily was able to vitalize the typically comatose Toronto crowd into belting out her signature “oo huh uh uhs” and “bam chicka bams” and clapping along… and also using the classic “You can beat yesterday’s show can’t you?” tactic to further get a rise out of them.
The band played a nice blend of new and old tunes, with highlights that include Empty (see below), Glass Ceiling, Poster of a Girl, Dead Disco, Help I’m Alive, Sick Muse and Twilight Galaxy. They also performed one of my favourite ambient ballads from the new album, Collect Call,which silenced the crowd in reflective awe. Thanks to the fantastic Massey Hall acoustics and EQ levels you could hear every guitar note, rolling beat, ambient sound and synth frequency that showcased the range of this homegrown band’s ability.
Metric finished off their encore with a nice acoustic rendition of Combat Baby. It become more of a singalong and celebration of their 2-night stay at Massey Hall. At the end of the song you could feel the emotion and memory that will not only have a lasting impression for the fans, but for Emily and the band as well.
Over the past couple years I’ve been following Dan Mangan. So far it’s been a great story for this Vancouver singer/songwriter, whose recent sophomore release “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” in August with Criminal Records has caught some big attention from CbcRadio3 and the indie folk music community. I remember being among a handful of people at NXNE last year, or even catching his free show at the Annex Room with IndieCan, where a small cult-ish Toronto group yearned for him to belt out “Robots” or “Not What You Think It Is.”
Walking in late at the Rivoli on Friday (unfortunately missing the County French), I was initially taken back by the number of people there. Mangan and his band had been having a rough day: they performed a gig in Peterborough the previous night, a CBCRadio taping during the day and an early evening promo show at Criminal Records just a few hours before hitting the stage.
Mangan played a blend of new and old tracks, this time bringing a full band of horns, pianos and string players along with him. He was quick to pick the crowd with his upbeat, clap and foot stomping “I’m Sold”. The 3 hours of sleep did not hinder; it only added a bit more ash and whisky to his already passionate deep and raspy voice.
Unfortunately he wasn’t able to stay in control of the crowd soon after. It wasn’t his fault though, since most of his music is downtempo and without drums…and Mangan frequently use of pregnant pauses. It really takes an attentive and intimate crowd to feel the full effect of his music. Unfortunately this wasn’t in the cards this evening in this apparent industry folks and hyped hipster show.
The back bar noise (usually drowned by the drums/electric guitars) overpowered Mangan and foiled any attempt of emotional connection to the music. Beautiful songs like “The Indie Queens Are Waiting”, which include soft female vocals by Veda Hille, was butchered and lost any sensibility when all you can hear are details on Lucy’s drunken stupor last night. It was also clear they weren’t listening at all – during a few dramatic pauses mid-song, folks in the back clapped, thinking the song was over. This is worse than newbies at Roy Thompson Hall who clap between every movement in a symphony or opera, since they’re only guilty of innocent ignorance on classical music ettiquette. In this case, the knobs in the back had no respect or care over the show; they clapped while continuing their banter about their work week and how bad the Leafs. It’s just a classic case of stardom, and perhaps why many singer/songwriters become cynical or complacent feeling that no one is really listening. Bummer.
The turning point of the show was when a righteous audience member dutifully yelled “SHUT THE FUCK UP” after yet another ruined pause during “Basket”.
The peanut bar did subside (post yell) for the back half of the set — and this is where Mangan started to showcase what he was all about; highlights included “Tina’s Glorious Comeback”, “Pine for Cedars” and “So Much for Everyone”. I was hoping to hear “Unnatural Progression”, but in retrospect this was probably for the best in the event of being butchered by the bastards in the back!
The crowd favourite, “Robots“, ended his set and had the crowd singing, “Robots need love too. They want to be loved by You. They want to be loved by you”. Mangan also brought his “1980’s awesome” plastic robot and encouraging him to be crowd surfed during the tune. This was the only case where a full capacity crowd was a benefit, although it was not to outweigh the loud obnoxious peanut gallery for most of the set.
Let’s hope next time the crowd can appreciate the music more than the hipster hype.
It’s difficult enough to keep up with the kids these days, espeically the teen pop idols of the hour. Because I find myself outside of the mainstream media more and more, rarely listening to radio and without cable, my daily dose usually comes from the day’s Metro on the subway, billboard or Yahoo.com newswire splash page at the intro. Sometimes the rise of mega superstars takes me completely by surprise. Over the past 3 years Regina has surged into the pop circuit right from under my nose as a quirky darling of folk songs. Her her music has bubbled into TV, feature films and commercials across the US and UK.
Although I’ve known about her for awhile now, I’ve never had the chance to see her live. Regina’s eclectic style of music parades around folk, pop, jazz, classical and international (jewish/russian). Her music is not written, but rather, readily streams through her and connect us with her inner and random-most thoughts and imaginations. Whether it be characters, a scene, autobiographical, or otherwise, she pulls us into her colourful world with every note she sings, bucket she bangs or key she presses.
Now about the show. Walking into the sold out crowd at Sound Academy in Toronto, you could feel the young and vibrant teenage energy, to the point of questioning, “Am I at the right show? Will a boy band would be walking on the stage??” I passionately detest the Sound Academy, because of the long and narrow layout that squishes everyone like sardines with crappy sightlines, it’s bar-ocades (designated drinking area only on one side and at the back), and bad sound. The positioning of the Steinway piano also impeded half of the audience from seeing Regina’s face, adding to the poor visibility.
Despite the venue issues, Regina put on a great show. She moved back and forth from her Steinway, electric keyboard, guitar, and even a solitary drumstick and chair for the song Poor Little Rich Boy. From the get-go the show was more of a mass sing-along (ala Dashboard Confessional, thankfully without the awful agnst and self loathing) with the crowd belting out songs such as “On the Radio”, “Fidelity” and “Samson”. I was also moved by her performance of Apres Moithat included verses in Russian. The sing-along was tolerable, but a few were shouting and making it hard to stay connected to the music – this was not an AC/DC Rock show!
The highlight of the night for me was her passionate and hunting performance of Human of The Year. The crowd was silent (as it’s a new track off her latest record, Far) and deep into her world – Regina showcased her vast vocal range that left the crowd in awe.
The audience was taken a little off guard with her choice of a country song to finish the night. That just goes to show you can never pigeon hole Regina! If not for the venue, this show would have been spectactular. Let’s hope next time around she can play at Massey Hall… with an 18+ show added!
