Toronto – Well, what can you say about the Hidden Cameras‘ showcase at Summerworks? Their theatrical interpretation of their 2009 album Origins: Orphans has elicited some interesting reactions.
I had received a fair warning about the show from people who went the previous night, saying it wasn’t really a concert, kinda weird and that sitting on the floor sucks. Knowing this, I went into the show with an open mind and obviously, got myself seats at the back of the Upper Ossington Theatre upon entry on Friday. I may or may not have budded everyone in line on the way in, but this is an arts festival, and art thrives on creativity and chaos, not structure, so taking that cue, I just went to the front.
Anyways, the show started at around 10:30 pm. The Hidden Cameras band featured both a horn and string section, which always impresses me. I’m sure there were some local music artists recruited to play various instruments, but I am not familiar with local artists much. I think one of them was Laura Barrett, based on her glasses. Joining the band on the floor space was a dance troupe that included a 12 or 13 year old kid. They were joined by Joel Gibb for their opening dance sequence, to the tune of the title track Origin: Orphan. They started off in a ball on the floor, and then got up into some sort of fishing motion, like, when you are reeling in a very large fish. That’s my take on it anyway.
The rest of the show consisted of songs off the album and the dance troupe acting out the interpretations of the song. Dressed like extras from a modern day Oliver Twist meets the Gap play, I gather the play was about an orphan being raised in some sort of harsh environment, constantly under the threat of abuse from some authoritarian figure played by Keith Cole. Halfway through the album, that figure decides that life is better as a woman or a cross dresser, then everyone is happy. Lots of dancing then follows.
Overall, the show was enjoyable on both an audio and visual perspective and not as weird as some had speculated. I’m not the most artistic person so I didn’t try to personally interpret anything going on, or try to figure out if each song was part of some sort of bigger message. The band and the music itself was rather strong and made me a fan of their latest album. I could have done without the 30-40 minute intermission, something that may or may not have killed any momentum the band had achieved. All in all, a very fitting way to start off Summerworks.
The hidden cameras – Walk on by jslacasa