Concerts

Concert Review: Sylvaine, September 16, Opera House

Posted on September 17, 2022 by Paul in Concerts | Leave a comment

Friday night saw Norway’s Sylvaine (not to be confused with the late Sylvain Sylvain or, for that matter, David Sylvian) taking to the stage at The Opera House alongside Imperial Triumphant and Zeal & Ardor.

A charming frontwoman who took the time during her set to tell the story behind some of the songs, Sylvaine, aka Kathrine Shepard, introduced herself and her bandmates as being “from Europe” adding that they come from Norway, France and Germany, but Sylvaine is really Shepard’s brainchild. A classically trained multi-instrumentalist and composer, Sylvaine has assembled a solid collection of songs on her latest, Nova (out now on Season of Mist).

Sylvaine offers up a mix of black metallish sounds with traditional folk stylings and vocals that run the gamut from ethereal beauty to full on shrieks. With a sound reminiscent of bands like Alcest and Myrkur, the band put on an impressive show. In a live setting, songs like “Mono No Aware” and “Nowhere, Still Somewhere” really come alive, with a few in the crowd even getting a bit of a mosh pit going towards the end of their set.

For their parts, headliners Zeal & Ardor and show openers Imperial Triumphant also put on memorable performances, though I feel that Imperial Triumphant in particular deserves a special shout out not only for their musical chops but for incorporating a champagne bottle into their performance, first using it as a guitar slide before popping the cork and then spraying the crowd, pouring the remnants into a few concertgoers mouths. I mean, if you were one of the lucky few to get some free champagne included along with your concert ticket? That’s just good value.

Concert Review: Yoo Doo Right, Cadence Weapon, August 27, Lithuanian House

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Paul in Concerts | Leave a comment

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The second night of Wavelength’s Summer Thing at Lithuanian House saw Cadence Weapon returning to headline another night on a bill that also included the likes of Magi Merlin, Prince Innocence, Absolutely Free and Montreal psych/post-rock trio Yoo Doo Right.

Yoo Doo Right first caught our attention back in March with a stellar set at this year’s SXSW. The band definitely sounded impressive then, but on this night, given the chance to stretch out a bit beyond the usual 30-40 minute confines of a SXSW set, Yoo Doo Right were really able to show what they’re capable of, putting on a performance that was equal parts noisy and beautiful. Setting up on the floor in front of the stage and bathed in the glow of their psychedelic lightshow, the three piece played a mostly instrumental set that brought to mind fellow Montrealers Godspeed You! Black Emperor at times.

Cadence Weapon, for his part, was in good spirits for his second night headlining the venue, putting on a set that was fairly similar to the first night’s, though a bit longer. Like the previous night, the songs from his latest, Parallel World, were again the highlights, though he did switch things up a little bit. For one thing, he wore Crocs on stage for the first time ever, a decision that from the sounds of things, may have been a game changer for him.

He also treated the crowd to a story about how he once opened for Rihanna at Ottawa Bluesfest, completely bombed in front of her audience, and how he then cussed out an unimpressed Rihanna fan (and inadvertantly the entire audience) that night, which ultimately got him banned from an Ottawa radio station … that likely never played him in the first place. That story, and a bunch of others, are in his recently released book Bedroom Rapper: Cadence Weapon on Hip Hop, Resistance and Surviving the Music Industry.

Before I close out this review, I’d first like to share a few words on the venue and why there really should be more shows there. Lithuanian House is essentially a banquet hall/event space that presumably mostly serves the Lithuanian community in the neighbourhood. It’s a nice space with pretty good acoustics, a little reminiscent of the Tranzac, but bigger. So … why aren’t more people booking shows at this spot? Is it just not that well known? Is it that it’s a little too far west for some? Are there Lithuanian weddings happening every weekend that are keeping the place booked up? Who knows, but I hope that in the future, more concert promoters decide to start booking here, and not just because I live within walking distance. Though that is most surely a big selling point for me.

Concert Review: Backxwash, Cadence Weapon, August 26, Lithuanian House

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Paul in Concerts | Leave a comment

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This past Friday night saw the two most recent winners of the Polaris Prize share the same bill (though not the same stage) as Cadence Weapon and Backxwash made their way to the Lithuanian House to play the first night of Wavelength’s “Summer Thing,” with each artist both headlining and curating a stage at the West End venue.

As Backxwash took to the stage at the venue’s lower level with a huge grin on her face, the crowd was already pretty hyped, but once the show got started, things went to another level. This was an intense performance and a fully satisfying one. But as intense (and heavy) as the set was, Backxwash somehow managed to take things up yet another notch by inviting Brooklyn’s Dreamcrusher, who had played earlier that night, to join her onstage for the final song. All in all, an incredible performance.

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For many, Backxwash’s set would be a hard act to follow, even if separated by a couple of floors. Luckily, Cadence Weapon also put on a great show as he closed out the night on the upstairs stage. Touring behind his latest album, 2021’s Parallel World, Cadence Weapon put on an impressive performance despite the fact that, as he stated at one point, it was past his bedtime.

Though his set seemed a bit brief (he played for a bit longer on the second night), there were several highlights that stood out, including “SENNA”, “Eye to Eye” (“This song is inspired by when I used to live on Roncesvalles and would get racially profiled by my neighbours”), “Skyline” and “On Me”, its lyrical references to cellphone surveillance ironically juxtaposed with the crowd lighting up their cellphones and waving them in the air. He also threw in snippets of Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You” for good measure.

Another memorable moment came in the form of “My Crew (Woooo),” which he dedicated on this night to everyone at the show. While the song may have been written about his time in Montreal, in this context it acted as a nice reminder of what live music at its best is all about – bringing people together in shared moments and building a sense of community.

Concert Review: Franz Ferdinand, August 17, History

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Ricky in Concerts | Leave a comment

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Photo credit: Carrie Musgrave

One of my seminal moments from my first year in Toronto was attending Franz Ferdinand’s first show in Toronto. At the time, it was like, “Wow, this cool band that’s gotten all the hype is playing a show in this cool city I moved to.” It was one of those moments that only reinforced that I made the right decision moving to Toronto

Fast forward 18 years later and I’m still in Toronto and Franz Ferdinand is playing a greatest hits show. Time definitely flies.

I could go on and on about the new venue they played in or how far it is from anywhere but realistically, the main thing that gets me about a Franz Ferdinand show 18 years in is just how fresh some of the songs still sound.

Franz Ferdinand has never really deviated from their M.O. – they want you to have a good time and dance to their music. While you could go on a whole narrative about how that might have limited some of their post-debut success, what was clear from the first song is that this directive meant that when you go a Franz Ferdinand greatest hits show, you are going in for 90 minutes of bangers.

Executing the set with minimum banter and clocking in at under 90 minutes, the Franz show was an exercise in efficiency. The hits didn’t stop coming and there was little time for the audience to rest, probably much to the bar’s chagrin

While a lot of the audience definitely favoured the material off the debut record, it’s pretty clear that the hits from the past few records are also embraced with much love as tracks like “No You Girls”, “Do You Want To”, Evil Eye” and “Always Ascending” kept the floor poppin’.

Of course the two standouts remain “Take Me Out” and “This Fire.” Franz has always put “Take Me Out” in the middle of their set and even having seen it live a bunch of times, this song still gives me goosebumps. The buildup and the drop remains one of the best rock moments at a live show for my money

“This Fire” has ended the last few shows and I think it’s mostly because people like to shout “burn this city.” Either way, both tracks were the icing on the cake that is a Franz Ferdinand show, which even 18 years in, is still a treat.

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