Wednesday night saw a lot of Aussie action as The Jezabels swept through for a vocally powerful, however slightly flat performance at Virgin Mobile Mod Club. Can I just call it Mod Club? These sponsorships are hilariously ridiculous, however beneficial for the venue it may be.
Canada’s own Eight and a Half kicked things off. Reinvented in the wake of The Stills, Dave Hamelin and Liam O’Neil have teamed with Broken Social Scene’s drummer extraordinaire Justin Peroff to create something new. The result is a more electronic, synth based indie rock sound, where, if you were a fan of the Stills (as I was, 16 times in concert, and no shame in the admittance), you can definitely hear Hamelin’s penned tunes as the sound of Oceans Will Rise resonates within them. It was a short set, but I was no doubt impressed; these are men that have been doing this professionally for years and it shows. No matter how new the formation of this collective may be, they play with the ease and confidence of veterans, skipping the awkwardness many new bands hold. It helps that the guys have been playing on and off together for years. I look forward to seeing more, as they no doubt will embark on headlining tours and larger crowds.
After Eight and a Half, the room crowded in further for the Jezabels. Seems they brought the heat with them from Australia as the room was a definite sweat box. The Jezabels were in ways both impressive and disappointing, two conflicting statements that I will elaborate upon. Lead vocalist Hayley Mary has an incredibly impressive voice. The woman could go up against some of the greats and give them a run for their money. Her powerful chords were flawless and hit every note spot on, never missing a beat, and deep into the show were showing no sign of slowing down. However, the background music was less than impressive, each song almost a carbon copy of the other, melding into one to the point where I began to lose track of the difference as it felt like one continuous song. The band played without a lot of energy. When I read that they had all met and formed in University, it was incredibly surprising; the backing band almost looked like hired touring players as she stood alone for most of it, flailing about sort of awkwardly.
All in all, it was a good show. I suggest checking Jezabels out; even if you’re not impressed with the set overall, her voice is worth seeing as its a powerful force in itself.