Toronto – Four Corners is a pretty interesting concept for a concert. There is no stage. There are no opening acts or headliners. Instead, there are four bands, each set up in one corner of the room and taking turns every couple of songs, culminating in all four bands jamming together. For this, the second edition, the bands involved were Lullabye Arkestra, Quest For Fire, Sun Ra Ra Ra, and Rituals.
Rituals were up first and I’ve got to say they didn’t really make much of an impression on me at all. This could have something to do with the fact that they were playing in the corner that was furthest away from me, but on the other hand, they didn’t want to make me move closer either.
Sun Ra Ra Ra, on the other hand, made quite the impression on me. Again, their placement in the room could have had some bearing on my opinion as I was right in front of them, but the Peterborough based band impressed me with their garage/psych/rock n’ roll sound. Their opening song had a very immediate visceral vibe and an opening riff that reminded me a bit of The Monkees’ “Circle Sky” (this is a good thing … no, seriously). These guys seem to play around Toronto quite a bit and I’m looking forward to seeing them play a regular set sometime soon.
The remaining corners were filled by two more established Toronto bands, Quest For Fire and Lullabye Arkestra. Quest For Fire did not disappoint with some solid stoner rock, but they didn’t blow me away either. They seemed to be keeping it a bit low key, but perhaps that was just a side effect of being sandwiched between Sun Ra Ra Ra and Lullabye Arkestra. Lullabye Arkestra had an abundance of energy. The husband and wife duo make a hell of a lot of noise for just two people.
One of the drawbacks of a show like this is that a band doesn’t necessarily get to build up much steam. It’s a bit like musical ADD in some respects. However, it does make for a nice sort of sampler and a unique live music experience. It also took place in a union hall, which I think is notable since really, how often do you get to see a show at a union hall?
Lullabye Arkestra – We Fuck The Night by wavelengthtoronto