The week before Canadian Music Week, I had the pleasure of hearing German folk pop band BOY for the first time. I enjoyed their sound and they had a charming demeanor onstage, so when I saw they were playing the El Mocambo at 11:00 on Saturday night, I figured I’d check them out again since there was nothing else that grabbed my attention during that time slot. However, after being annoyed by the overly chatty crowd and dubious sound mix at their show, I hightailed it to the Comfort Zone. No fault of the band of course. It may have, in fact, gotten better but I was in no mood to wait. After all, I didn’t want my Nick Cave buzz to wear off. So I made my way across the street to a place where there would be little schmoozing – the Comfort Zone. Dark and loud – a description that fits both the venue and the type of band I usually tend to see there. I knew that this would be a crowd that would be focused on the music and nothing else.
It turns out I made the right choice. Electronic punks Cellphone (try googling that band name) would have been impressive just based on the energy of their set alone. That they sounded like what The Dead Kennedys would have accomplished if you threw a pair of synthesizers in the mix only added to the fun. Sure, it wasn’t German folk pop, but it was probably what I needed at that point in the night anyways. These “4 wealthy deadbeats in international cahoots” are definitely on my radar right now. The next time Cellphone calls, I will answer. Sorry for the terrible play on words, but I couldn’t think of any other way to end this review. Only the best for you, folks. Only the best.