The Shilohs come from dewey-eyed Vancouver and are ready to shake things up in the patio capital. They share the stage with the Fresh and Onlys this Friday, July 18th at the sordid Horseshoe Tavern.
All the music on the band’s 2014 eponymous release shelters hardened summer love. It’s even more true of the lead-off single “Student of Nature.” These guys know how to inject sunshine into guitar lines. The production is reminiscent of TREX — we’re talking handclaps and stirring coo’s of backing vocal here folks. The single highlights the laidback tempos and easygoing vocal delivery of the album as a whole, but shows how those two elements can be adopted in a compelling sing-along single.
For the Smith Westerns and Tennis fans out there. Put your groove boots on and come down to the ‘Shoe tomorrow night!
I sometimes wonder what factors are involved when bands/promoters/whoever schedules a show. Seeing as yesterday was Oscar night and a Sunday, I suppose whoever is responsible for Brooklyn’s nu-gazers Asobi Seksu these days figured they’d go for broke in Toronto. The result? A fairly poorly attended set, which has its advantages for someone like me.
Advantage #1:
No crowds, cooler temperatures, and a good view of the stage from the Horseshoe’s back benches next to the sound guy. I didn’t have to get up once, nor did I want to.
Advantage #2:
Nu-gazers blitz through sets at a breakneck pace. Songs flow from each other without a break, and I suppose that’s part of the genre that makes for a more compacted live experience. That said, there is not what I would call extensive, soulful conversations between musician and attendee. Given the nature of the set, this is just fine by me.
Advantage #3:
The band might be more likely to fly by the seat of their playlist pants. Though I doubt this was the case on Sunday night, I might venture to say that there was more off Fluorescence and less off Citrus (still my favorite album of theirs), but that’s neither here nor there.
If it feels like I’m running out of things to say here, it’s because I don’t see too much in the way of growth since the last time I saw Yuki Chikudate and company breeze through town. That in itself isn’t too bad – it’s just stagnant, kinda hanging in the air there. Given what little I’ve heard and read about Fluorescence, everyone has come to know what to expect from these guys.
It was a pleasant enough hour-long set that saved me from having to see Kirk Douglas’s potential collapse and revival through defibrillation paddles onstage, and Anne “horse head” Hathaway’s student council leader take on the Oscars (James Franco was so dull he warrants no mention). Though sadly, I did have to abandon a bag of cheesy poofs at the Oscar Party.
Ricky’s iPhone concert photography™. The trademark is for consistent blurriness.
Scotland produces great pop music. It’s a fact. Bands like Teenage Fanclub and Trashcan Sinatras that are still trucking after all these years are living proof that there is a way to age gracefully in rock ‘n roll. It always surprises me when older performers take the stage after a long hiatus to be met with gasps like “SHIT. They got OLD.” Newsflash! We are all always getting old. And yeah, the ravages of time are applicable to people we stop paying attention to. A Catholic Education was released in 1990–20 years ago. 20 years ago!
So, I’m impressed that after 20 years, the band is still releasing good material. I haven’t listened to this year’s Shadows, but if their performance of Sometimes I Don’t Need To Believe In Anything is any indication of what they are still capable of, the caliber is still there. I actually think some of their newer songs played better than some of the classics, maybe because of their freshness.
And a lot of the classics were still there throughout their set, even if the incredibly packed venue (full of very tall people standing around the stage) felt the need to continually shout out things they wanted to hear. It was great to hear Alcoholiday live, but some of the older tunes played a lot better than others. One thing I was totally impressed by was Gerard Love’s consistency (and I always thought he was the strongest songwriter, penning some of the best pop love songs)–Don’t Look Back was probably the highlight of the show for me with the 3 minute mark jam tearing up the place. The lumping of consecutive slow songs kind of lulled everything down in spots, but there would always be a tail end favorite serving as a wake up call.
The decision to encore with two Howdy! songs in a row was something I wasn’t expecting, but I did think that Near You was one of the best songs of the night. I do think the decision to throw in a slower song off Shadows made people feel that by the time The Concept rolled around, there was a “finally” moment instead of a slow build to a “fuck yeah” moment.
Still, a great show.
P.S. What the hell was up with that guy with the tripod and video camera standing in the back area of the stage?!
