Toronto – Last week was a big week for several print publications – there was the re-branding of Eye Weekly as The Grid and Canadian publication Exclaim! magazine celebrated their 15th anniversary at the Wrongbar on Thursday with two of the hottest acts in Canada – Montreal’s newly minted electro act Miracle Fortress and London rapper Shad. As you may have deduced by now, we were there for the showcase on Thursday night, which was presented by Scion.
Armed with drummer Greg Napier at his side, Miracle Fortress had the pleasure of opening the night to a well fed and quenched crowd, courtesy of Shanghai Cowgirl and Steamwhistle breweries. Much has been made about Graham Van Pelt’s new electronic direction with his upcoming album Was I The Wave? and duo did not disappoint, offering a honest atmospheric rendition of their upcoming release. I find it interesting that Miracle Fortress would change up their sound as much as they have after the success of their last release Five Roses, a Polaris prize finalist. However, the new music still incorporates elements that made Five Roses a hit and adds to it a nice laid back ambient beat that gives the live show a nice oomph. While I enjoyed his showcase at Canadian Music Week more (despite the blinding light show), I can say that I’m definitely interested in checking out his new album when it is released tomorrow.
Next up on the bill was the rapper Shad, who by all accounts, had a wonderful year which saw his third release TSOL become the defining Canadian hip hop album for 2010. I am not too familiar with Shad’s work, but the man put on a solid show. I feel hip hop shows are about energy and Shad provided the crowd with a massive jolt. There were hands in the air, there was some great call and responses, some sing-a-longs and everyone was having a blast. The Go Train shirt wearing Shad took his emceeing skills into the crowd on several occasions and of course, brought out a few guests in Grand Analog and Lisa Lobsinger (and her hair) to add an extra touch of special to the night. I’ve never seen Shad before but he put on an endlessly energetic show that was down to earth and real, which seems to be an anomaly in the hip hop world. He doesn’t spit about cristals and race cars and I think it’s a very refreshing and much needed change in an industry that’s been plagued with too many boastful rags to riches types in the past decade.
All in all, a great way to celebrate a a fifteenth birthday, even if the free booze ran out at around nine.