Concerts

Concert Review: Tame Impala, Nov 24, Horseshoe Tavern

Posted on November 29, 2010 by sarahw in Concerts, Reviews | 4 Comments

Tame Impala

For those of you who follow my posts closely (I know that’s about 95% of this blog’s readers) you may have noticed my inclination to the slightly overzealous and enthusiastic.  The lowest score I’ve ever given a band on here is 3/5.

Enter bitter, disappointed Sarah.

Back Story – June, 2010

I liked Tame Impala before everyone else. Just kidding.  A friend’s Facebook wall post introduced me to this Australian psychedelic rock band.  Their debut album Innerspeaker quickly became one of my favourites of the summer.  These Pitchfork darlings have a unique rhythmic, psychedelic sound that channels 60’s rock bands like The Doors and The Kinks.

Fast Forward to November 24, 2010

I arrived at the Horseshoe cold and sober, but excited to find that this show was completely sold out.  Nice work boys!

They kicked the night off with It’s Not Meant to be.  Not the best opening I thought, but hey, maybe they just need to get into their groove.  From there things kind of spiraled into a psychedelic, reverb-laden, distorted mess.  Don’t get me wrong, I KNOW this is part of their style and it sounds ace on the album.  However this style did not translate well into a live show.  For clarity’s sake I will now compose a list of all the things I did not enjoy about the show.

  1. It was next to impossible to hear the vocals over the instrumentals
  2. The vocals I could hear were terrible, in fact I think all the effects actually mask the lead-singer’s sub-par voice
  3. There was way too much feedback
  4. At some points the vocals and instrumentals were not in sync
  5. The band had zero stage presence
  6. There was no encore (probably for the best)

In their defense, I don’t think that the Horseshoe was the best venue for this type of band.  Something larger with superior sound capabilities would have been better suited for this show, like Mod Club or Phoenix for instance.

Further to their defense, I saw a lot of people rocking out during the show and read some decent reviews from other Toronto bloggers.  One blogger even had the audacity to compare the lead singer to John Lennon, what the fuck is that about?

Lastly, I will still recommend the album, it’s excellent.  I especially enjoy the tracks Solitude is Bliss and I Don’t Really mind.  However, save your cash, save your ears, save your time because Tame Impala are extremely tame and underwhelming live.

Concert Review: The Wilderness, Nov 20, Horseshoe Tavern

Posted on November 23, 2010 by sarahw in Concerts, Music, Reviews | 3 Comments

The Wilderness

Toronto – Google “The Wilderness” and all kinds of things pop up: a Wikipedia entry about the Civil War, conservation editorials, a Wilderness Summit video by David Suzuki, and the list goes on. Dig further into those results and you’ll  stumble upon an experimental rock group from Toronto.

Saturday was a big night for the Wilderness, playing at the Horseshoe Tavern and releasing their new album .272.  To be honest, before the show I’d only really heard their latest single, Realpolitik, which I liked instantly.

The Wilderness did not disappoint, one bit. They had quite an entertaining set: stage adorned with an over sized dream-catcher, audience armed with balloons, lead singer, Lee pouring glitter all over the front row keeners, interpretive dancers and surprise duets.  I’m sure as a band it’s annoying to be categorized and compared to predecessors, but I’m going to go ahead and do it.  I hear a mix of Editors, Joy Division and !!!.  Lee’s distinct Ian Curtis-esque voice meshes well with the band’s rock/electronic sound (think a cooler, deeper more experimental and talented version of The Killers).

The Wilderness had no problem getting the crowd to dance.  With help from the 4 interpretive dancers on stage, the crowd had whipped themselves into a frenzy by about the second song and with Lee’s help stayed that way until the end!

There is something to be said about a charismatic band front-man.  Lee has nailed the art of crowd participation, from peppering the audience with sparkles throughout the show to encouraging fans onto the stage for the encore, he is able to connect with a packed room which is no easy feat.

The Wilderness have an original sound, can engage a crowd like the pros and have managed to produce a tight album.  I can honestly say this was one of the most entertaining and passionate shows I’ve been to in a while and predict that this Toronto band won’t stay unsigned for long.

Check out the video I took of the encore:

Concert Review: Pink Martini, Nov 19, Massey Hall

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Mark in Concerts | 1 Comment

Toronto – Portland-based Pink Martini played Massey Hall last Friday. It was a classy night of eclectic world music that had the crowd on their feet by the end of the show. The self-described “United Nations house band of the 60’s” certainly lived up to their name. Lead songstress China Forbes sang in English, French, Italian, Japanese, and Turkish. I probably missed a few languages there. Pink Martini is on a mini North American tour to hype up their latest holiday album Joy To The World (our review here).

Although the night did include a few of the better songs from their recent seasonal album, they spent most of their time digging into their discography to play old favourites like Dunde Estas, Yolanda, Amado Mio, and Brazil. The band was tight and the instrumentals were spot on. China Forbes was every bit as charismatic as I imagined she would be. Ringleader and pianist Thomas Lauderdale kept the crowd entertained in between songs with the inside track on their music.

“All the Turks, please come to the front of the stage” – Thomas Lauderdale

Easily the highlight of the night was when the band announced they were going to play a traditional Turkish folk song; all Turks in the audience were invited up to sing along. Enter Emre, a young Turkish man who got to the stage out of breath after having run down from the 2nd level balcony. It’s spontaneous things like this that make live music such a worthwhile pursuit. Thankfully for the band, our man Emre really could sing, he really did know the song, and he was immediately under the spell of the magical China Forbes. Who could blame him?

Emre did such a good job with the Turkish song that they kept him on stage for the remainder of the set and the encore. He was given maracas and played with the percussion section, occasionally dancing his way to China at the front. I’ll have to admit that his mix of bravado and uncertainty at being onstage at Massey Hall was both hilarious and endearing. At the end of Amado Mio, the entire band fell silent to allow China the opportunity to bring the song to a close; but there was Emre’s maracas in the back shaking away. It was as amazing as it was ridiculous.

Pink Martini live was every bit as fun as I hoped they would be. The spontaneity definitely made the show a memorable one, as China signed off with “Thank you for this crazy show!”

Concert Review: Winter Gloves, Whale Tooth, November 12, Horseshoe

Posted on November 16, 2010 by sarahw in Concerts | Leave a comment

Winter Gloves @ The Horseshoe
Photo Credit: Kayley Luftig

Toronto – Ask most Torontonians about Winter Gloves and they’ll probably say that they prefer mittens. Okay, okay bad joke. Winter Gloves is a relatively unknown Montreal-based synth-pop band that has started to garner attention from appearing at SXSW, Virgin Festivals and Osheaga.

I first heard about Winter Gloves during Canadian Music Week when they were scheduled alongside the Russian Futurists, The Acorn and Plants and Animals at Lees Palace. Stellar lineup but, alas, because of said lineup I did not get into the show.

Arriving about an hour before Winter Gloves were set to begin, I managed to catch a bit of the opening band, Whale Tooth (Canadian band names are second to none). I was quite blown away. Whale Tooth sounds like a hybrid of No Doubt and She and Him. The lead singer, Elise, has an amazing voice and is also a jazz musician who sings regularly at lounges around Toronto. I will definitely be seeing this band again and am going to try and catch Elise at her next jazz show (November 25, Black Moon Lounge).

Winter Gloves came out at around midnight bursting with energy. Before the show I hadn’t heard much of their latest release, All Red. After hearing a few songs it’s clear that this album is a lot more polished and mature than their freshman effort, About a Girl. The songs aren’t as manic and dance-y but rather more structured, accompanied by great backing instrumentals. I like the sound of their new album and can see that there is a noticeable improvement between About a Girl and All Red.

It’s worth a mention that this band has some rabid Toronto fans. Maybe it’s because the Horseshow is so intimate, maybe it’s because I was right at the front and maybe it’s because the (hot) lead singer hopped into the crowd a few times, but the energy in there was amazing.Winter Gloves  played a solid set and covered quite an array of songs from both of their albums. For the encore they brought Elise back on stage to sing Madonna’s True Blue, which was excellent and got the crowd even more pumped up at the end!

Though I enjoyed Winter Gloves live I was more taken by Whale Tooth. I will definitely keep an eye out for the next Toronto show and be sure to catch Elise LeGrow at her November 25th jazz show.

Sleepwalking by Whale Tooth

Winter Gloves- Plastic Slides by latitude32

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