Concerts

Concert Review: The Olivia Tremor Control, September 16, Lee’s Palace

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Allison in Concerts | 2 Comments
http://www.chromewaves.net/concertPhotos.php?concert=oliviaTremorControl&id=30

Photo from Chromewaves

There are some bands from the mid-90’s that for one reason or another, never really found an audience outside of College Radio. Back in 1997 though, the internet wasn’t quite what it is today. Modems used these things called phone landlines, and you’d reveal all of your age cards if you were to reproduce the dial-up sounds with accuracy.

It went something like this.

It’s hard to imagine now, but I had an increasingly time-consuming internet addiction that had been in its infancy since 1994, to the point where no one could get through to 905-738-9018. I was using things like mIRC at that time in addition to heavily following the Morissey-Solo discussion boards. I actually ended up befriending a few people off those boards, but I liked them most for one purpose and one purpose only: mix-tape trading.

I had a few devoted mix-tape partners over those years. The best was a Professor of Middle English Literature at the University of Edinburgh (he was into Wire, Gang of 4, Pavement, amongst others). Another favorite was a Toronto-based 4AD Collector I’m still friends with to this day. The guy who introduced me to Olivia Tremor Control ended up being one of the best of all–a New York City-based musician who had a short-lived Smiths cover band called The Salford Lads. I didn’t know too much about Olivia Tremor Control beyond songs like Jumping Fences, Hideaway, and I Can Smell the Leaves, but seeing their name on an upcoming concerts schedule again took me back.

Perhaps I wasn’t the best person to consult beyond what expect beyond this handful of songs, because what I saw at the half-full crowd at Lee’s Palace that night was not necessarily what I remembered. That’s not a bad thing in itself–maybe I just wasn’t feeling having to wait in line behind gaggles of girls in stiletto heels and miniskirts (since when did the Dance Cave become a bonafide night club?!?!), or maybe it was standing in the one area someone chose to consistently drop “silent but deadlies” (no wonder no one was standing there), but I just wasn’t feeling the seemingly endless (8 piece?!) band that seemed to fill their set with more “sound” interlude inbetween songs that night.

There has been a weird phenomenon of the last couple of shows in recent memory featuring totally incoherent banter between a singer and the audience. The stream-of-consciousness reached a new high when one of the vocalists was told to “shut-up” and responded with “no, it’s our show”. Thankfully Elephant 6 co-founder Bill Doss would step-in to keep it together, graciously thanking someone named Kalli for baking them some cookies (not sure what was in them but there you go).

Banter aside, this show adds to Allison’s file of “I’m not sure how I feel about reunion shows”. On the one hand, it wasn’t bad to hear those songs–and certainly a group of hardcore fans up front were appreciating every minute of their set. On another, some of these tours add as mildly depressing reminders that a 15+ year timeframe can lapse without anything changing. The same half-full clubs, the same background chatter, the same everything else. This all came to a head when one of the band members ended their encore with a plea for “greens and a place to crash”….

Concert Review: Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club, Kool Haus, Sept 17

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Ricky in Concerts, Everything | 1 Comment

Toronto – It’s amazing what a few extremely catchy tracks and a hard working ethos can get you these days. A great example of this would be Two Door Cinema Club, a Northern Irish indie pop band signed to the ever so popular Kitsune label. The band released their debut record Tourist History early last year and has remained on the indie radar ever since, largely due to extensive touring. In that time, they have seen singles like Something Good Can Work, I Can Talk and What You Know reach modest success on the charts. Yet here they were, Saturday night, playing a sold out Kool Haus on the same album barely a year after making their Toronto debut at the tiny Wrongbar.

With an already excited crowd in hand, TDCC took the stage shortly after eleven and regaled the willing crowd with their brand of accessible indie pop music. The band certainly can write some wonderful hooks and the live versions of their songs certainly come off as energetic, as evident by the semi mosh pit that erupted from opening track Cigarettes in the Theatre to the set closer I Can Talk. The band mostly stuck with the music, and didn’t really say much to the crowd aside from the obligatory thank-yous but the crowd treated it all the same, showing love from the get go. My only problem with the band is that all their songs seem to have the same drum beat and follow the same formula (gentle verses, singalong chorus) , but hey, why fix something that clearly isn’t broken?

I Can Talk by Two Door Cinema Club

Opening for TDCC was Bombay Bicycle Club, a band that took a slower rise to the top (well, they really are at midpoint, probably). Mixing new tracks off A Different Kind of Fix with a few older, more familiar material, Bombay Bicycle Club got a great response from the crowd with their folk but really kinda rock brand of music. I felt mostly average about the show, but this was during a week where I saw some extravagant acts so perhaps three guys with guitars singing their hearts out didn’t really register with me as much as it would other people.

Concert Review: STRFKR/Starfucker, Sept 12, Black Cat

Posted on September 17, 2011 by halley in Concerts | Leave a comment

Washington DC – You’ve got to get past the name. It’s juvenile. It’s offensive. It’s vulgar. Understood. But as soon as you accept Starfucker is… Starfucker… you will love them. And your love will only grow once you see them live.

I was lucky enough to see the band at Black Cat on September 12 and they rocked my world. True to the indie-music genre, not one of the band members can weigh more than 80 pounds and they were all decked out in hipster-appropriate wear (including hand-drawn T-shirts, daffodil-yellow cardigans, and the ugliest grandma glasses you could hope to find). They did, however, set themselves apart from their fellow indie troupes through the inclusion of a tambourine and their phenomenal lighting scheme (imagine being surrounded by a million tiny swirling stars of a million different colors). ‘Twas a great dance party background.

Starfucker also got major points in my book because they focused on what we all trekked out to experience on a Monday night: the music. There was no banter, no break between songs, only a brief but appreciated acknowledgement to the crowd: “Thanks for coming out on a Monday night, yeah!” Anything for you, Starfucker.

The band played its well-known favorites, including German Love and Isabella of Castile. They also indulged in several lengthy instrumental pieces that got the crowd moving (to the extent that PBR tall-boys were not spilled).

As if the show was not good enough already, the band played Pop Song, my ultimate favorite, as their encore. Such a fantastic ending.

So do it: Get past the name, put the band on your Pandora or iTunes or Spotify or whatever gadget you swear by, and see them live next time they pass through your city. It’s a must.

Pop Song by starfucker_usa

Concert Review: Chad Valley, Active Child, September 14, Garrison

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Ricky in Concerts | 2 Comments

Toronto – Leaving the Garrison after the show on Wednesday night, I was asked by Paul what I thought of the show. I said to him, “it was really good, two guys just singing over music” to which he replied “Yeah, but isn’t that everyone?”. While the statement I made applies to all music, there aren’t many that can sing like Hugo Manuel (of Chad Valley) and Pat Grossi (of Active Child).

Opening the night was Chad Valley, a solo project from Jonquil front man Hugo Manuel. Employing a simple synthesizer+ setup, Hugo hit the crowd at the Garrison with waves and waves of ambient notes and drum machines. All the tracks were of course, highlighted by the man’s voice. While I am never sure what the man is singing, he sings it well, hitting all the right notes and generally making me wish I can hit those notes or have that falsetto. Lost among the spacey trippy summer vibe that is his live take on his current EP Equatorial Ultravox, I blissfully nodded my head and moved to the tracks for the duration of the show. I even moved to stand up after securing a sitting spot, that’s big if you know how lazy I really am. Standout tracks include Fast Challenges and Now That I’m Real. Check him out if you get the chance.

Now That I’m Real (How Does It Feel) ft. Rose Dagul by chadvalley

While Chad Valley’s sound laid somewhere in the confines of a drug fueled summer pool party, Active Child’s sound lies firmly within the wreath of heartbreak. In town to promote their debut album You Are All I See, Active Child is the project of Pat Grossi, a man with some extensive choral/operatic voice training. Casually taking the stage with a harp, Pat Grossi was accompanied by a man on keyboards and another on an electric drum. From thereon in, Pat Grossi used his powerful voice as the brush to paint a picture of what might have been a pretty rough relationship. Laid out over simple but unique arrangements (including harps and pre-programmed sequences) Active Child mesmerized the crowd with their brand dark, introspective r&b meets electro music. A stark contrast from the earlier sounds of Chad Valley, but overall a good night of listening to people who can sing really really well.

Active Child – Hanging On

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