Have you been to one of those over-priced pop-up art events American hipster organizations with names like “Bright Young Things” like to set up? If you haven’t been lucky enough to pay $15 for these experiences, they’re basically unconventional exhibits of unknown artists in undiscovered (read: deserted) urban warehouses where unprofessional bartenders sell you $9 Andre in solo cups. A good time? Sometimes, but you can probably tell by my tone that I was not super excited when my friends decided that just such an event would be our Saturday night destination. But, given that my choice was drink a $9 bottle of wine by myself in my apartment or drink said $9 Andre with friends… I opted for the latter. Such.A.Good.Life.Decision. Why? Because I got to see Body Language.
So, with these art events, there are sometimes bands… sometimes mediocre bands… sometimes great bands. Body Language was definitely on the latter end of that spectrum. They were ridiculously great. How great? A guy I didn’t know walked up to me, asked me for a pen, wrote down his number… and gave it to the beautiful lead singer. And I wasn’t even mad about it.
The band is Brooklyn-based and describes itself as tropical/soul/psychedelic. The band members (MAGIC: Matt, Ang, Grant, Ian and Computer) have an original sound, their banter is witty and they had the entire crowd of super cool-emo-dark yuppies legitimately dancing (not just head-nodding) by mid-set. The crowd wouldn’t let them go without a loooong encore. Their new EP (as of September) is grammar and includes several of the hits the band played that night, including Lose My Head and I’m a Mess. Check these guys out. They are fantastic.
In the year 2012, Ash celebrated their 20th anniversary. You might think that would mean they are old and crusty, but then you realize that Tim Wheeler, the driving force behind the band is only 35. Which means that while you were sitting around a shopping mall after school doing whatever it is you were doing, Tim Wheeler and Mark Hamilton were writing classic songs like Jack Names The Planets.
Despite the band’s age, Ash has been working at a feverish pace in recent times which included the A-Z series, where the band released a single a week for 26 weeks. It is with this feverish pace and perhaps a sense of duty that Ash decided to embark on a North American tour this fall. With their last show in Toronto being seven years ago, it would be an understatement to say that an Ash show has been a long time coming.
The last time Ash was in town, a girl stormed the stage and proceeded to strip off her clothes. This was a response to the opening act, The Bravery, whose Carlos D wannabe guitarist/bassist decided to strip while playing. That show was a very odd one, because the Bravery had just recently caught fire on the heels of their unofficial Killers cover An Honest Mistake and most of the crowd was there for them. Obviously, they left after the Bravery (fools) creating a weird feeling among those who went there for Ash. It was a bit of a distraction.
This time around, there was no distraction and Ash just powered through a 19 song set that touched on all aspects of their discography. It was all you can ask for, take a look:
1.Lose Control (1977-1996)
2.Orpheus (Meltdown-2004)
3.A Life Less Ordinary (A Life Less Ordinary EP-1997)
4.Goldfinger (1977-1996)
5.Clones (Meltdown-2004)
6.Walking Barefoot (Free All Angels-2001)
7.Binary (A-Z Vol. 2-2010)
8.Evil Eye (Meltdown-2004)
9.Kung Fu (1977-1996)
10.Shining Light (Free All Angels-2001)
11.Oh Yeah (1977-1996)
12.Jack Names The Planets (Trailer-1994)
13.Arcadia (A-Z Vol.1-2010)
14.Girl From Mars (1977-1996)
15.Return of White Rabbit (A-Z Vol.1-2010)
Encore:
16.Angel Interceptor (1977-1996)
17.Uncle Pat (Trailer-1994)
18.Joy Kicks Darkness (A-Z Vol.1-2010)
19.Burn Baby Burn (Free All Angels-2001)
Big thanks to our sister blog Indie Kid vs Dance Kid for providing the set list. Ash just rocked the show. Ash’s punk sensibilities had always precluded them from entering most Britpop discussions (they were also..not British, but rose to prominence at around the same time) but it was this sensibility and Tim Wheeler’s flying v guitar that made the show so memorable. One of the things you really notice at an Ash show is just how much these guys probably like metal. The rapid chord progression and squealing guitars are a real homage to that sound and it really counterbalances Ash’s catchy lyrics nicely.
3 Highlights for me include:
A Lifeless Ordinary– an unforgettable song from the forgettable movie
Binary– Honestly, one of the best songs from Ash. It’s off their A-Z series which means old school 1977 Ash fans probably never listened to it, but it’s as good as any of their older material.
Shining Light – One of the singles off Free All Angels, a highly successful yet underrated Ash album from 2001 that was probably the most pop oriented album to this date.
The show was basically hit song after hit song, so I would imagine everyone at the show had a different highlight and that just depends on which songs you felt particularly strong about. The twenty years of concert experience that the band has accumulated has transformed Ash into a well oiled rock machine. A three piece band rarely sounds bigger or more polished. The group hit all the notes, struck all the poses (especially Mark Hamilton) and look like they were having a helluva time doing it. Let’s just hope that it’s not seven years before we see them again.
Out of all of us at the Panic Manual, I’m probably the person least attuned to Canadian music. I’m not sure I have any valid excuses for that other than I never pay much attention to where a band is from.
I can only gather that ’94-’95 was a good year for the Halifax scene (I guess it was called the “Pop Explosion“) and Murderrecords. Sloan’s Twice Removed was released, followed by the Super Friendz’ power-debut Mock Up, Scale Down. I was in 9th grade and remember being intrigued by the latter album after the band did an odd piece on MuchMusic where they were interviewed in a convertible shortly, before taking off in the vehicle (who else misses MuchMusic of 1994? I love Buffy the Vampire reruns as much as the next guy, but I’m not sure the post-Znaimer entity could ever be considered a music video network).
That was 17 years ago (ick).
Toronto was lucky to get one of the two reunion dates the Super Friendz are doing this year in what seemed like sold-out capacity at Lee’s Palace, producing one of the most high-energy shows I’ve been to in recent memory. I’m sure 99% of that can be attributed to the fact that they were actually enjoying themselves up there, and you can always sense that. These guys have all moved on in some capacity, with both Murphy and the babelicious Drew Yamada (now a Pediatrician at the South Shore Community Health Centre in Halifax), but I reckon the reason it sounded better than just a jam session is that they’ve produced and toured music together as recently as 2003.
The material from Mock Up, Scale Down still has some irresistibly catchy riffs that have held up stiffly against the test of time, as the aging, pogoing crowd will be able to attest to from Friday’s show. Their opener joined them onstage for an awkwardly long back-up vocal interlude, and a lot of verbal exchanges with the audience were lost in low mumbles, but none of that seemed to matter as these guys were having pure unadulterated fun up there.
The highlight of the show was definitely 10 Lbs. where the crowd broke out into a choral sing-along and I was reminded of why this is one of the best lost songs of the 1990’s. First of all, it’s deliciously reminiscent of early college-themed times where everything, including hormones and the uncontrollable desire to get laid, is soaring out of control. Most of us would’ve had some torturous experience trying to get into a relationship of some sort.
I thought The Rodeo Song was my draw
The more the horse bucked, the deeper you’d fall
But you worked there for roots and for old ties
You were there for your friend, not the one on the rise
I wish we were adult contemporaries when we went through school
’cause I’d have hung around and I’d have walked you home from school
Your friend’s the actress, don’t lose 10 lbs. too
‘Cause you are as pretty, as pretty times two
CHORUS
But she doesn’t come alone – she comes with a friend
and that means you, you’ll come around
So bells ring and whistles blow
At least I’m alive
You take the highway in and you take it home
and I walk through patterned blocks, I cut it alone
You should never laugh at other people’s jokes
’cause I fill up with pride, live my life in the hopes
I live my life in the hopes
I’ve listened to it about 30 times over the past 2 days and think it sounds even better than it did when first released and bet it will sound even better by 2029 (though I may need the Whisper 2000 to hear it by then). Usually one song doesn’t epitomize an entire performance for me, but in this case it did. It’s the only thing I remember and if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go listen to it another 30 times now.
Syrup
Triple A
Rescue Us From Boredom Undertow
Friend of Family
Hedging Karate Man
Fireflies
When They Paid Me 10 Lbs.
Actual Set List (thanks, commenter)
When They Paid Me
Undertow
One Day
Come Clean
Rescue Us From Boredom
Restricted
Better Call
Karate Man
Fireflies
Little Things
Let You Go Cold
Just Say So
The World’s Most Embarrasing Moment
Down In Flames
10 Lbs.
Girls And Their Boys (encore)
Absurd Without It (encore)
Up & Running (encore)
It was a re-living of highschool angst all over again!
Now, Now
Recently making their debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, this trio from Minneapolis has been around and kicking since 2003, forming in high school. Now, now recently signed with Chris Walla from Death Cab’s record label have toured with the Naked and Famous and now with Motion City. These girls and guy play heavy classic indie rock, the soft lilting voice a nice contrast to the sometimes strangling guitar sounds. Cacie Dalager’s voice stands out above the sounds clear and concise. The music is reminiscent of early 00’s indie, think Death Cab, Rainer Maria, etc. I can see them soon heading out on their own headlining tour.
Jukebox The Ghost
Where do I start with these guys? They stole the show completely. Extreme dance power pop with extremely talented musicians. Stage presence that suggests a band comfortable in their skin that has been touring for years. these guys are embarking on their first Canadian headlining tour in February and March. I highly suggest seeing them. A seemingly classically trained pianist, a drummer with a penchant for tossing his right handed stick in the air as his parlor trick between his fast beats and a guitarist that can shred in the middle of a dance song. These guys were so much fun the crowd was screaming and cheering as if they were the headliners. Near the end of their set they declared “we’re kind of known for performing bad covers, if you don’t know this one, go back in time and learn it” (I’m paraphrasing of course, because who remembers quotes that aren’t from Arrested Development from more than two days ago?) They then proceeded to enter into Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and I sang along with the fellow old timers. Jukebox The Ghost‘s newest album is called Safe Travels, and I wish them just that, because they’re going to be gone for a quite a while I suspect.
Motion City Soundtrack
Nine years ago I saw these guys in Toronto at the Phoenix It was my own smack in the face of “woah, you’ve aged.” Justin Pierre, the lead vocalist of Motion City, may be nine years older, however his voice is as strong as ever. This guy has serious range. They’ve just released their fifth studio album and were finishing their tour in Toronto. Extremely nice these guys hang around after every show meeting their fans. I’ve been told the singer to preserve his voice doesn’t speak to his fans but just karate chops, mimes and takes pictures, which almost seems more interesting than conversing. Their fans are so loyal – it’s refreshing to see Torontonians finally reacting at a concert rather than standing around like they’re all Daria. Crowd surfing, collective jumping, moshing, singing the words to every song, it was a breath of fresh air. Their encore consisted of a Ben Folds Five song (which my friend went insane for as it combined his two favorite bands) and their best known song, the always truthful ‘The Future Freaks Me Out‘ in which a giant collective sing-a-long erupted and at the line “what’s up with Will and Grace,” I wondered if the young’uns in the audience understood the line or just dug the song.. The future really does freak me out.
