Garbage
Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ON
Monday, May 28, 2012
I must say that prior to Monday night I would not consider myself a fan of Garbage, although I knew the bigger singles but did not know what to expect going into this set at the Phoenix on a warm Monday night. Fresh off of their first studio release in seven years (Not Your Kind of People), Garbage rolled into Toronto for a solid, fan-pleasing evening.
Led by frontwoman Shirley Manson, who absolutely kicks ass, the band played an array of tracks from their discography allowing their sound to appeal to complete strangers (me), casual fans, as well as their most dedicated of followers. The energy never let up even while the band experienced technical difficulties before "I Think I'm Paranoid", as Shirley took some time out to socialize with the audience and doing an impromptu meet-and-greet with the crowd while revealing just how far some fans had some to catch them (Rita from Latvia, for example). After a shot of whiskey with fellow bandmates Steve Marker (guitar, keys), Butch Vig (drums), Duke Erikson and Eric Avery, the group tore into the finale of their 100-minute evening by wrapping up with "Push It".
Following a brief encore, the electric crowd demanded more from the band and more they got. After playing "Automatic Systematic Habit" the group played, for the first time in Canada, the 1999 James Bond title track "The World is Not Enough" before finishing up the evening with "Vow", making for quite the energetic conclusion.
Unfortunately I am not overly familiar with the band but I can certainly say that I will be checking out their catalogue because I am completely sold. The show delivered a set that never got dull and maintained a solid energy throughout, while sending everybody home happy. Definitely recommend.
Setlist:
Supervixen
Temptation Waits
Shut Your Mouth
Queer
Metal Heart
Stupid Girl
Why Do You Love Me
Control
#1 Crush
Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)
Blood for Poppies
Special
Milk
Man On a Wire
I Think I'm Paranoid
Bad Boyfriend
Only Happy When It Rains
Push It
Automatic Systematic Habit
The World Is Not Enough
Vow
Album Breakdown:
Garbage: 6
Not Your Kind of People: 4
Version 2.0: 4
Bleed Like Me: 3
Beautiful Garbage: 2
B-Side: 1
The World Is Not Enough: 1
Showing posts with label Toronto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toronto. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Friday, 30 March 2012
Review - Band of Skulls (Toronto, ON)
Band of Skulls w/ We Are Augustines
Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ON
Friday, March 31, 2012
Southampton rockers Band of Skulls returned to Toronto for their second show in six months at the sold out Phoenix Concert Theatre on Friday night after previously filling out the intimate Garrison back in September. The band consists of Russell Marsden on guitar, Emma Richardson on bass, Matt Hayward furiously on drums with the former two sharing vocal responsibilities.
Fresh off the release of their sophomore album (Sweet Sour) the group has clearly grown as a tighter live act, not as if they were struggling previously, but it's extremely cool to see this band on the rise. After road-testing their material and even touring with the Black Keys this past winter it is evident that they mean business.
Balancing out the set with tracks from their debut release (Baby Darling Doll Face Honey) they started off the evening with the thunderous title track of their newest album and never let up. Continuing along with "Lies" they revisited older tracks "Patterns" and "Fires" before returning to the new material. After the new single "Bruises" and "Wanderluster" came the powerful "Cold Fame" which completely engaged the Toronto crowd and allowed us to settle down.
One of the highlights I had from the Garrison show was the closing of the main set which wrapped up with the first three tracks from the previous album, but on this night they had more material to dip into and they certainly did. After another of their slow-building tracks ("Lay My Head Down") came their first single "I Know What I Am" which set off a very energetic finale to the main set. Following was the newer "You're Not Pretty But You Got It Goin' On" before jumping into fan favourites "Light of the Morning" and "Death by Diamonds and Pearls" to finish up.
After a quick break they returned to the stage to send the crowd home happy with recent single "The Devil Takes Care Of His Own" and "Impossible".
When I saw the band in April 2010 they really impressed me and made me want to revisit the studio material because of how powerful it came across in the live setting. In September they delivered a set which included older material and tracks off of their newer release which have really fleshed out well since that time. After filling up the 300-person Garrison in September they sold out the Phoenix tonight which holds 1,100 fans, so the window of opportunity to see them in intimate settings may be shrinking.
I was very relieved by tonight's show as I wasn't originally certain how the new material would go over, but thankfully they knocked it out of the park and I am excited to throw on Sweet Sour in the morning.
Highly, highly recommend checking them out when they come to town.
New York's We Are Augustines delivered a pretty solid opening set with tracks from their 2011 debut release We Are Sunken Ships. I will certainly be checking out that one and am optimistic.
Setlist:
Sweet Sour
Lies
Patterns
Fires
Bruises
Wanderluster
Cold Fame
Bomb
Blood
Lay My Head Down
Hollywood Bowl
I Know What I Am
You're Not Pretty But You Got It Goin' On
Light of the Morning
Death by Diamonds and Pearls
The Devil Takes Care Of His Own
Impossible
Album Breakdown:
Baby Darling Doll Face Honey: 10
Sweet Sour: 7
Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ON
Friday, March 31, 2012
Southampton rockers Band of Skulls returned to Toronto for their second show in six months at the sold out Phoenix Concert Theatre on Friday night after previously filling out the intimate Garrison back in September. The band consists of Russell Marsden on guitar, Emma Richardson on bass, Matt Hayward furiously on drums with the former two sharing vocal responsibilities.
Fresh off the release of their sophomore album (Sweet Sour) the group has clearly grown as a tighter live act, not as if they were struggling previously, but it's extremely cool to see this band on the rise. After road-testing their material and even touring with the Black Keys this past winter it is evident that they mean business.
Balancing out the set with tracks from their debut release (Baby Darling Doll Face Honey) they started off the evening with the thunderous title track of their newest album and never let up. Continuing along with "Lies" they revisited older tracks "Patterns" and "Fires" before returning to the new material. After the new single "Bruises" and "Wanderluster" came the powerful "Cold Fame" which completely engaged the Toronto crowd and allowed us to settle down.
One of the highlights I had from the Garrison show was the closing of the main set which wrapped up with the first three tracks from the previous album, but on this night they had more material to dip into and they certainly did. After another of their slow-building tracks ("Lay My Head Down") came their first single "I Know What I Am" which set off a very energetic finale to the main set. Following was the newer "You're Not Pretty But You Got It Goin' On" before jumping into fan favourites "Light of the Morning" and "Death by Diamonds and Pearls" to finish up.
After a quick break they returned to the stage to send the crowd home happy with recent single "The Devil Takes Care Of His Own" and "Impossible".
When I saw the band in April 2010 they really impressed me and made me want to revisit the studio material because of how powerful it came across in the live setting. In September they delivered a set which included older material and tracks off of their newer release which have really fleshed out well since that time. After filling up the 300-person Garrison in September they sold out the Phoenix tonight which holds 1,100 fans, so the window of opportunity to see them in intimate settings may be shrinking.
I was very relieved by tonight's show as I wasn't originally certain how the new material would go over, but thankfully they knocked it out of the park and I am excited to throw on Sweet Sour in the morning.
Highly, highly recommend checking them out when they come to town.
New York's We Are Augustines delivered a pretty solid opening set with tracks from their 2011 debut release We Are Sunken Ships. I will certainly be checking out that one and am optimistic.
Setlist:
Sweet Sour
Lies
Patterns
Fires
Bruises
Wanderluster
Cold Fame
Bomb
Blood
Lay My Head Down
Hollywood Bowl
I Know What I Am
You're Not Pretty But You Got It Goin' On
Light of the Morning
Death by Diamonds and Pearls
The Devil Takes Care Of His Own
Impossible
Album Breakdown:
Baby Darling Doll Face Honey: 10
Sweet Sour: 7
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Review - The Throne (Jay Z & Kanye West) (Toronto, ON)
The Throne (Jay Z & Kanye West)
Air Canada Centre
Toronto, ON
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Brief review here: that shit cray.
Jay Z has built a reputation as a solid live performer and Kanye continues to take his game to another level. Show kicked off with tracks from their collaborative album (Watch the Throne), switched back and forth between solo sets and joint tracks, and so on.
The show was very simple (no guests) yet at the same time contained the right amount of excess (playing "N*ggas in Paris" three times, less than Montreal the night before). Starting off on giant cubes that rose from each end of the arena to perform their 2011 single "H.A.M." they set the tone for the evening, which led into more tracks from the album and eventually breaking off into a series of solo sets as well. They would perform from the main stage at the ACC as well as return to their own individual spots for memorable mini-sets featuring the likes of "Runaway", "Stronger", and "On To The Next One". Overall, solid use of the venue and they made sure everybody in the arena had a good view at least a couple times.
You either like Kanye or you don't, so that may turn people off, but for somebody such as myself who is a fan, this show was awesome. Jay seems less polarizing as the setlist dipped into quite a bit of his catalogue and reminded alot of us of just how many recognizable tracks he has. One moment before "All of the Lights" where Kanye restarted the song twice in order to make sure all of the lights were on seemed like it might have been planned, or was it? This one could definitely feed into the haters, but those same haters seem to fuel Kanye's music these days so perhaps he's doing it intentionally now.
Someday I may revisit this review and go into greater detail, but I'll leave it brief and summarize by saying it was both very simple and over the top (weird, right?). The show is/was expensive but for big fans of either artist (or both) it is catered directly to you and was worth it.
Possibly the biggest shock of the night: Drake did not appear on stage.
Here's the beast of a setlist...
Setlist:
(Throne Music)
H.A.M.
Who Gon Stop Me
Otis
Gotta Have It
Where I'm From
Nigga What? Nigga Who?
Can't Tell Me Nothing
Flashing Lights
All Falls Down
Jesus Walks
Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)
Public Service Announcement
U Don't Know
Run This Town
Monster
Power (Remix)
Made in America
New Day
Hard Knock Life
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
(New York, New York)
Empire State of Mind
Runaway
Heartless
Stronger
(D.A.N.C.E.)
On To The Next One
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
That's My Bitch
Good Life
Touch the Sky
All of the Lights
Big Pimpin'
Gold Digger
99 Problems
(What A Wonderful World)
No Church in the Wild
(Lift Off)
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Encore
Album Breakdown:
Watch the Throne: 11
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 4
The Black Album: 4
Graduation: 4
The Blueprint 3: 3
Late Registration: 3
The Blueprint: 2
The College Dropout: 2
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life: 2
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia: 1
808's and Heartbreak: 1
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1: 1
Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter: 1
Author Edit: "...Paris" got played 5 times on night two (November 24th); otherwise the setlist was identical.
Air Canada Centre
Toronto, ON
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Brief review here: that shit cray.
Jay Z has built a reputation as a solid live performer and Kanye continues to take his game to another level. Show kicked off with tracks from their collaborative album (Watch the Throne), switched back and forth between solo sets and joint tracks, and so on.
The show was very simple (no guests) yet at the same time contained the right amount of excess (playing "N*ggas in Paris" three times, less than Montreal the night before). Starting off on giant cubes that rose from each end of the arena to perform their 2011 single "H.A.M." they set the tone for the evening, which led into more tracks from the album and eventually breaking off into a series of solo sets as well. They would perform from the main stage at the ACC as well as return to their own individual spots for memorable mini-sets featuring the likes of "Runaway", "Stronger", and "On To The Next One". Overall, solid use of the venue and they made sure everybody in the arena had a good view at least a couple times.
You either like Kanye or you don't, so that may turn people off, but for somebody such as myself who is a fan, this show was awesome. Jay seems less polarizing as the setlist dipped into quite a bit of his catalogue and reminded alot of us of just how many recognizable tracks he has. One moment before "All of the Lights" where Kanye restarted the song twice in order to make sure all of the lights were on seemed like it might have been planned, or was it? This one could definitely feed into the haters, but those same haters seem to fuel Kanye's music these days so perhaps he's doing it intentionally now.
Someday I may revisit this review and go into greater detail, but I'll leave it brief and summarize by saying it was both very simple and over the top (weird, right?). The show is/was expensive but for big fans of either artist (or both) it is catered directly to you and was worth it.
Possibly the biggest shock of the night: Drake did not appear on stage.
Here's the beast of a setlist...
Setlist:
(Throne Music)
H.A.M.
Who Gon Stop Me
Otis
Gotta Have It
Where I'm From
Nigga What? Nigga Who?
Can't Tell Me Nothing
Flashing Lights
All Falls Down
Jesus Walks
Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)
Public Service Announcement
U Don't Know
Run This Town
Monster
Power (Remix)
Made in America
New Day
Hard Knock Life
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
(New York, New York)
Empire State of Mind
Runaway
Heartless
Stronger
(D.A.N.C.E.)
On To The Next One
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
That's My Bitch
Good Life
Touch the Sky
All of the Lights
Big Pimpin'
Gold Digger
99 Problems
(What A Wonderful World)
No Church in the Wild
(Lift Off)
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Niggas In Paris
Encore
Album Breakdown:
Watch the Throne: 11
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 4
The Black Album: 4
Graduation: 4
The Blueprint 3: 3
Late Registration: 3
The Blueprint: 2
The College Dropout: 2
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life: 2
The Dynasty: Roc La Familia: 1
808's and Heartbreak: 1
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1: 1
Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter: 1
Author Edit: "...Paris" got played 5 times on night two (November 24th); otherwise the setlist was identical.
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Review - Japandroids (Toronto, ON)
Japandroids w/ Metz
Sneaky Dee's
Toronto, ON
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Vancouver rockers Japandroids returned for a high-energy affair featuring tracks from their breakout debut Post-Nothing, as well as some welcome new songs from their upcoming release, with some other singles sprinkled in between. Plus a cover of Gun Club's For the Love of Ivy to wrap up the evening.
That's essentially how lead singer Brian King introduced the two-piece band (David Prowse on drums) to the audience, suggesting that the night would begin with some newer material and then they would get to the older stuff. Overall, happy to say this show was quite satisfying to this casual fan. Plenty of the songs were recognizable, in particular Wet Hair, The Boys Are Leaving Town, Rockers East Vancouver, and Young Hearts Spark Fire, all due to their ability to make an impression and stick out after only a handful of listens.
The originally scheduled opener Bass Drum of Death was unable to attend (border issues), so we got Metz who brought a high energy set that seemed to receive a mixed reaction from the audience. Unfortunately at this point I was towards the back and didn't really soak up this set, but it was definitely loud.
For sure I would recommend Japandroids.
Setlist:
Adrenaline Nightshift
Younger Us
Fire's Highway
The Boys Are Leaving Town
Rockers East Vancouver
Art Czars
Evil's Sway
Wet Hair
Sovereignty
Young Hearts Spark Fire
For the Love of Ivy (Gun Club)
Album Breakdown:
Post-Nothing: 5
Miscellaneous: 2
Untitled New Album: 3
Covers: 1
Sneaky Dee's
Toronto, ON
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Vancouver rockers Japandroids returned for a high-energy affair featuring tracks from their breakout debut Post-Nothing, as well as some welcome new songs from their upcoming release, with some other singles sprinkled in between. Plus a cover of Gun Club's For the Love of Ivy to wrap up the evening.
That's essentially how lead singer Brian King introduced the two-piece band (David Prowse on drums) to the audience, suggesting that the night would begin with some newer material and then they would get to the older stuff. Overall, happy to say this show was quite satisfying to this casual fan. Plenty of the songs were recognizable, in particular Wet Hair, The Boys Are Leaving Town, Rockers East Vancouver, and Young Hearts Spark Fire, all due to their ability to make an impression and stick out after only a handful of listens.
The originally scheduled opener Bass Drum of Death was unable to attend (border issues), so we got Metz who brought a high energy set that seemed to receive a mixed reaction from the audience. Unfortunately at this point I was towards the back and didn't really soak up this set, but it was definitely loud.
For sure I would recommend Japandroids.
Setlist:
Adrenaline Nightshift
Younger Us
Fire's Highway
The Boys Are Leaving Town
Rockers East Vancouver
Art Czars
Evil's Sway
Wet Hair
Sovereignty
Young Hearts Spark Fire
For the Love of Ivy (Gun Club)
Album Breakdown:
Post-Nothing: 5
Miscellaneous: 2
Untitled New Album: 3
Covers: 1
Monday, 29 August 2011
Review - Incubus (Toronto, ON)
Incubus w/ Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman)
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Toronto, ON
Sunday, August 28, 2011
(Due to a human error on my part, the original review I wrote is long gone)
In short, I've been a long time Incubus fan, particularly their older material but this show was very fun. They played a good amount of tracks to please their older fans as well as a fair share of newer material to help promote their new record, If Not Now, When?.
Opening with older favourites, Pardon Me and Wish You Were Here the band was exploding out of the gate. Despite a sudden slowdown on new track Adolescents, the energy quickly resumed with their hit single Anna Molly, only to return to the quieter form on Promises, Promises. This back and forth essentially sums up the evening, at least from this fans perspective, as the band launched back into Make Yourself and Morning View tracks Circles, When It Comes, Consequence and even the lone SCIENCE track, Vitamin.
I myself am not a big fan of the new album, but the next track In The Company of Wolves is quite enjoyable in the live setting (and even on album actually) as it builds and allows for some exploration, featuring plenty of jams to keep even the most cynical of fans satisfied (this guy!).
Wrapping up the main setlist were some stripped-down versions of Defiance and an alternate approach to Dig, which was essentially a washroom break for some, but on a cool Sunday night at the end of the summer it was nice to experience. Just a Phase, A Crow Left of the Murder, Drive, and Nice To Know You was a nice way to wrap up the main set (also Thieves was in there) and for the most part these songs are likely to remain staples going forward.
After a brief stoppage, the encore began with the lively political song Megalomaniac then wrapped up with Tomorrow's Food, which closes out both the evening and their new album.
Overall, as an older fan of the group I would certainly say they're worth checking out, but they're somewhat expensive. They're very talented, Brandon Boyd (lead singer) can definitely still bring it, and a good way to spend a summer evening.
I missed opener Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman), but didn't hear positive things about his set. Unfortunately I can't properly comment on his set.
Setlist:
Pardon Me
Wish You Were Here
Adolescents
Anna Molly
Promises, Promises
If Not Now, When?
Circles
When It Comes
Consequence
Vitamin
In the Company of Wolves
Defiance (Acoustic)
Dig
Just a Phase
A Crow Left of the Murder
Drive
Thieves
Nice to Know You
Megalomaniac
Tomorrow's Food
Album Breakdown:
If Not Now, When?: 7
Make Yourself: 4
Morning View: 4
A Crow Left of the Murder: 2
Light Grenades: 2
S.C.I.E.N.C.E.: 1
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Toronto, ON
Sunday, August 28, 2011
(Due to a human error on my part, the original review I wrote is long gone)
In short, I've been a long time Incubus fan, particularly their older material but this show was very fun. They played a good amount of tracks to please their older fans as well as a fair share of newer material to help promote their new record, If Not Now, When?.
Opening with older favourites, Pardon Me and Wish You Were Here the band was exploding out of the gate. Despite a sudden slowdown on new track Adolescents, the energy quickly resumed with their hit single Anna Molly, only to return to the quieter form on Promises, Promises. This back and forth essentially sums up the evening, at least from this fans perspective, as the band launched back into Make Yourself and Morning View tracks Circles, When It Comes, Consequence and even the lone SCIENCE track, Vitamin.
I myself am not a big fan of the new album, but the next track In The Company of Wolves is quite enjoyable in the live setting (and even on album actually) as it builds and allows for some exploration, featuring plenty of jams to keep even the most cynical of fans satisfied (this guy!).
Wrapping up the main setlist were some stripped-down versions of Defiance and an alternate approach to Dig, which was essentially a washroom break for some, but on a cool Sunday night at the end of the summer it was nice to experience. Just a Phase, A Crow Left of the Murder, Drive, and Nice To Know You was a nice way to wrap up the main set (also Thieves was in there) and for the most part these songs are likely to remain staples going forward.
After a brief stoppage, the encore began with the lively political song Megalomaniac then wrapped up with Tomorrow's Food, which closes out both the evening and their new album.
Overall, as an older fan of the group I would certainly say they're worth checking out, but they're somewhat expensive. They're very talented, Brandon Boyd (lead singer) can definitely still bring it, and a good way to spend a summer evening.
I missed opener Tom Morello (The Nightwatchman), but didn't hear positive things about his set. Unfortunately I can't properly comment on his set.
Setlist:
Pardon Me
Wish You Were Here
Adolescents
Anna Molly
Promises, Promises
If Not Now, When?
Circles
When It Comes
Consequence
Vitamin
In the Company of Wolves
Defiance (Acoustic)
Dig
Just a Phase
A Crow Left of the Murder
Drive
Thieves
Nice to Know You
Megalomaniac
Tomorrow's Food
Album Breakdown:
If Not Now, When?: 7
Make Yourself: 4
Morning View: 4
A Crow Left of the Murder: 2
Light Grenades: 2
S.C.I.E.N.C.E.: 1
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Edgefest 2011 - Recap
Festival started at 12 and I entered at 3, whoops! I'll point out in advance that it was a last-minute decision to attend and I only had my Blackberry for a camera. I was disappointed to miss The Reason but unfortunately a mixture of traffic and a late-Friday caused me to get to the park fairly late, here we go!
Arkells (3:10) - I've seen these guys a whole bunch of times already and know what to expect, but each time I have been happy with the result and this was not an exception. Perhaps the only exception here was that they opted to not open with a track from their debut record Jackson Square, but rather the new single (Whistleblower) from their upcoming release. Fun, upbeat set that was a solid start to my day, featuring all of the hits that we've known to love such as Oh, The Boss is Coming!, John Lennon, and Pullin' Punches, as well as a few surprises including the debut of a new track and some guest appearances from various other friends at the festival (members of Dinosaur Bones, The Reason, and Tokyo Police Club). Frontman Max Kerman pointed out that the band has moved up the Edgefest food chain hour-by-hour in the last three installments of the festival; assuming the new album is as good as it's starting out to be I wouldn't object to a higher billing next summer.
EDIT: The song they debuted is called "Kiss Cam".
Gentlemen Husbands (4:00) - Recently had the opportunity to check out the tail-end of their set while at NXNE and was impressed with what I heard, so immediately when I saw the Edgefest schedule I penciled them in. Unfortunately, I also went to grab a beverage (two actually) beforehand and caught about 75% of their set as a result but was happy with what I got. Sticking with the Arkells opening to my day, they were upbeat and took advantage of their fairly short slot by delivering an enjoyable set.
Tokyo Police Club (4:10) - These guys are a band for whom I have never really listened to but have been told to check out, so I'll give them the k-os Award for this round of Edgefest. Since Gentlemen Husbands wrapped up before TPC I figured I would check this one out, but also used it as an opportunity to touch base with friends I know at the festival so I took this one in from the hill. In contrast to where I was disappointed with k-os, I found myself enjoying Tokyo Police Club and am probably going to pursue some of their studio material. Which brings me to the next band that also overlapped with TPC...
Monster Truck (4:35) - The positioning of the blanket for which I was visiting was smack-dab in the middle of the two stages (Main and XM), so between TPC songs I was able to listen to some of Monster Truck, in addition to the couple of songs I heard initially before moving to the group. With most festivals comes a scheduling conflict that forces one to make a decision and forgoing another, while I was happy with my choice I wish that they were scheduled at a better slot (for me) so I could see the whole thing. I'll take a raincheck and hope they return to the GTA soon (let's pretend that they didn't play at the Bovine Sex Club last night too). They're in the Edgefest queue of bands I am going to follow-up with shortly, so this "review" of their set is more a place to drop their name for anybody who many stumble onto this entry. :)
The Sheepdogs (5:10) - I gained awareness of them through the Rolling Stone contest that placed them in a battle for the front cover, then after appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon I just missed them at NXNE, so they took some priority yesterday. While I was not crazy about their set, I'll give them the Arkells Award from 2009 of being a band that I hope continues to improve as they are enjoyable, especially on a sunny day like yesterday. The crowd was very into this set and their single "I Don't Know" went over quite well. I'm seeing a trend developing in this recap, where I talk about the band and then say I'm going to check out their album very soon; throw them on the list!
The Weakerthans (5:40) - I've been aware of these guys for quite awhile but never listened to their albums or saw them live because I have always had a dislike for the lead singers voice. I saw about half of their set and enjoyed it while finding there was some diversity in their sound, so I'll credit them with putting on a good set, but maybe just not for me.
KO (5:55) - Continuing on the final point from the last part, I will credit him with being a good, high-energy live performer but just not my thing. The open-air, sunny day setting is definitely an excellent fit for his music and energy (plus it provides some ventilation for the crowd). His sound is along the lines of Sublime, illScarlett and any of those bands with alot of references to smoking weed, which made for a fun set, but I'm sort of content with keeping the relationship casual as it currently is (saw him open for somebody else last summer). I won't have to be dragged kicking and screaming to his sets in the future, nor will I rush to any of them.
Hollerado (6:40) - Maaaaan, oh man. Two years ago I saw these guys very randomly open up for the Dead Weather (story is that Jack White hand-picked them for a secret show) and they were a very pleasant discovery. Here we are in 2011 and the band has rightfully earned a nice amount of success while not appearing to be slowing down. If you have not seen them live, they are an extremely catchy, fun, high-energy band with excellent crowd-interaction who is certainly worth your time. They're in Toronto quite a bit and although their price is no longer free like it usually was in 2009, I would still recommend them (fun-fact: 3/4 times including yesterday I have seen them for free, I owe them some nachos). The difference between then and now is that their videos for Americanarama and Got To Lose each went viral (rightfully so), Juliette became a hit and with these accomplishments they have attracted a much larger crowd which in turn has led to a far more energetic crowd. Fun, fun band that I may have taken for granted lately; they even brought confetti (and lots of it). A quick listen to their album may give off a vibe that they're very poppy, and while I would agree to an extent, their philosophy is that catchy, pop music doesn't have to be bad. Without question I have to recommend their live show. Also, go to HMV and look for Hollerado under Rock/Pop and try telling me that you didn't find something unique (unless their supply is zero). They performed all of their hits, brought out a new track and even covered Neil Young's Keep on Rockin' in the Free World to close out the set; these guys belong on the main stage at this festival. Moving onto the final band of my day (after Hollerado frontman Menno Versteeg ripped into them upon exiting the stage, of course)...
A Perfect Circle (7:10) - The festival typically provides Canadian bands to attendees and then grabs an American band or two for the latter part of the day (previously we had AFI), so in 2011 we have A Perfect Circle, who have just started touring again. I missed the start of their set due to Hollerado's overlap but managed to see most of it. I'm not familiar with much of their catalogue since Mer De Noms (which came out in 2000), so this one was going to be a bit of an experiment to close out the afternoon for me. There was certainly a different (mainly darker) tone to this one compared to most of the days acts, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The highlight of the set for me was a track entitled Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums which definitely brings some impact live. The set featured four covers (of the eleven played) which is a bit high, but that also included John Lennon's Imagine. I'll be catching these guys at Lollapalooza next month so I was okay making my way to the exit as they were finishing in order to avoid traffic.
===============================================
Festival thoughts:
Overall, I must say that I had a great time and suggest that if you're into up and coming Canadian bands that this is worth your afternoon. Much like my logic in 2009, face value was $40 for the early bird ($60 otherwise) for about 9 bands (split-sets included), so it works out to very little per act. For somebody who arrives early and/or is a fan of the headliner it is excellent value (last time I got to see Billy Talent and Metric for less than a standard ticket to one of their shows). The beer is expensive but the roaming aspect brought on by a recent law change is nice (no more beer tent!). If I had one suggestion to make, it would be to somehow expand the XM Stage because for Hollerado and the Sheepdogs that thing was beyond capacity.
What is a Sandman Viper Command? The winner of the Edgefest marketing award, that's who. I think I'll check them out right now because their posters and shirts were plastered all over the place.
I would also recommend taking the TTC. The festival provides a shuttle service from Downsview station and you get to avoid the potential clusterfuck of an exit by car. I left before the headliner and still had to deal with two 401 entrance closures, then add some eventual traffic to that and you have yourself one big mess. Next time I will likely be taking TTC (plus you can drink).
Friday, 8 July 2011
Review - The Black Keys (Toronto, ON)
The Black Keys w/ Cage the Elephant
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Toronto, ON
Thursday, July 7, 2011
This is a tough one. I want to write about this show, but I have alot of mixed, larger feelings associated with yesterday and how it relates to one of my favourite bands at the moment, I'll try to remain on topic. I really don't want to sound like a music snob (that's not why I write), but I didn't dig this show as much as everybody else and I have to get some stuff down.
The Black Keys came to Toronto last night and depending on who you asked the review may vary based on if they are a new fan, an old fan, or a casual concertgoer looking for entertainment on a warm summer evening. The band (Dan Auerbach on vocals/guitar and Patrick Carney on drums) have been moving up the ranks quite rapidly in the last year and generally over the course of the past decade. This was my third time seeing the band (twice last August) and unfortunately was my least favourite of their sets. Coming in I had both extremely high expectations (based on past shows) and a somewhat cautious attitude (the Coachella webcast seemed to indicate some changes to their live show), the mix of this hurt my enjoyment of the evening.
A year after releasing their Grammy Award-winning album Brothers, the boys returned and have certainly increased the overall feel of their live show, which is where the discomfort for me came. I suppose the music-snob in me is a bigger fan of the simpler, balls-to-the-wall style that they have the reputation for providing, but last night felt as if the band is trying to expand the scope of their live show to reflect their rise in popularity (which I suppose makes the show accessible for everyone in the larger venue). Rather than a simple backdrop and playing the songs straight, there were far more theatrics that I would have expected at a Green Day show and not so much one featuring these guys. During Everlasting Light a massive discoball dropped from the ceiling, video screens displaying random clips played throughout the evening, and a large "BLACK KEYS" sign with flashing lights arrived prior to the encore (and helped cue the chants throughout the 16,000 sold out crowd). The music itself was good, I just felt the gimmicks were a little over-the-top for this band; they don't need to be doing this. Other than my snobby opinion, the show itself in general was clearly a success as everybody else I have talked to loved it and the setlist maintained the variation I expected. I'm not trying to write that the band sucks or that their show did, because it didn't (and they don't). My fear is just being realized that a band I have grown to enjoy more and more is finally getting the fame they deserve and graduating to the big leagues of arena rock. While it's unfortunate that I would like to live in the past, these guys have to make a living and one could say it's important to evolve over time or else you run into the risk of boring your audience. Sorry to go off on a tangent, this is a show review afterall.
The setlist included all of the hits and dirty riffs that one would expect from a Black Keys show, but on a much larger scale compared to previous dates in the city. Last time they were in town there were three more songs played; five of which did not appear last night (two from Rubber Factory, one from each of Attack & Release, Thickfreakness, and Brothers), so perhaps I'm just feeling spoiled by past experiences.
Their studio material has not changed for the worse in my opinion, as I enjoyed Brothers in its own way compared to Rubber Factory or Magic Potion. The fact that they're diversifying their style is fine and I will continue to enjoy the past albums (seventh is due out this year), but the band has shifted my expectations for their live show and this has landed them in a different territory than what I expected Thursday afternoon (further from say, NXNE and closer to the Foo Fighters). That's okay (I guess), things change, relationships evolve, it's just not what I expected last night. A "bad" Black Keys show is still a freakin' Black Keys show where Dan rocks all of our faces off on guitar or where Patrick beats the holy hell out of the drums. I wasn't a fan of the different ways in which they are now performing certain songs, but the source material is still very strong and perhaps I can chalk this up to being a phase of the group (the Arctic Monkeys went darker in 2009, then light again in 2011, for example).
There are many things in my life that I was doing one or five years ago that I don't enjoy doing anymore, so I have to give the guys the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they're just trying something different in order to keep things exciting (they do seem to tour relentlessly afterall). I've been told they're nice guys and I'm sure they are, I was just disappointed with the feel of this show compared to a typical Black Keys show. Oh well, I still have tickets to Tuesday night's show in London; perhaps I will have more fun at that one now that my expectations are a little more grounded.
Cage the Elephant opened with a thirty-minute set featuring favourites from both their self-titled and 2011's Thank You, Happy Birthday. I had only listened to the former on occasion and was not overly familiar with their material, but hits like In One Ear, Shake Me Down, and break-out Ain't No Rest For the Wicked went over extremely well with the audience. Frontman Matthew Shultz certainly lived up to his energetic reputation by moving onto the floor early in the set and then crowd-surfing towards the end. I'll give them points for their energy, but I found the vocals were fairly muffled which may have been a combination of the venue or the lead singer, who knows.
Closing out the evening on the roof of the venue was The Coppertone, but unfortunately we were unable to catch her/their set as we were amongst the masses trying to escape the venue.
Setlist (The Black Keys):
Thickfreakness
Girl Is On My Mind
The Breaks
Stack Shot Billy
Busted
Act Nice and Gentle
Everlasting Light
Next Girl
Chop and Change
Howlin' For You
Tighten Up
She's Long Gone
Ten Cent Pistol
I'll Be Your Man
Strange Times
I Got Mine
Sinister Kid
Your Touch
Album Breakdown:
Brothers: 7
The Big Come Up: 3
Rubber Factory: 3
Attack & Release: 2
Magic Potion: 1
Thickfreakness: 1
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: 1
Setlist (Cage The Elephant):
2024
In One Ear
Aberdeen
Tiny Robots
Around My Head
Japanese Buffalo
Back Against the Wall
Indy Kidz
Ain't No Rest for the Wicked
Shake Me Down
Sabretooth Tiger
Album Breakdown:
Thank You Happy Birthday: 7
Cage The Elephant: 4
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Toronto, ON
Thursday, July 7, 2011
This is a tough one. I want to write about this show, but I have alot of mixed, larger feelings associated with yesterday and how it relates to one of my favourite bands at the moment, I'll try to remain on topic. I really don't want to sound like a music snob (that's not why I write), but I didn't dig this show as much as everybody else and I have to get some stuff down.
The Black Keys came to Toronto last night and depending on who you asked the review may vary based on if they are a new fan, an old fan, or a casual concertgoer looking for entertainment on a warm summer evening. The band (Dan Auerbach on vocals/guitar and Patrick Carney on drums) have been moving up the ranks quite rapidly in the last year and generally over the course of the past decade. This was my third time seeing the band (twice last August) and unfortunately was my least favourite of their sets. Coming in I had both extremely high expectations (based on past shows) and a somewhat cautious attitude (the Coachella webcast seemed to indicate some changes to their live show), the mix of this hurt my enjoyment of the evening.
A year after releasing their Grammy Award-winning album Brothers, the boys returned and have certainly increased the overall feel of their live show, which is where the discomfort for me came. I suppose the music-snob in me is a bigger fan of the simpler, balls-to-the-wall style that they have the reputation for providing, but last night felt as if the band is trying to expand the scope of their live show to reflect their rise in popularity (which I suppose makes the show accessible for everyone in the larger venue). Rather than a simple backdrop and playing the songs straight, there were far more theatrics that I would have expected at a Green Day show and not so much one featuring these guys. During Everlasting Light a massive discoball dropped from the ceiling, video screens displaying random clips played throughout the evening, and a large "BLACK KEYS" sign with flashing lights arrived prior to the encore (and helped cue the chants throughout the 16,000 sold out crowd). The music itself was good, I just felt the gimmicks were a little over-the-top for this band; they don't need to be doing this. Other than my snobby opinion, the show itself in general was clearly a success as everybody else I have talked to loved it and the setlist maintained the variation I expected. I'm not trying to write that the band sucks or that their show did, because it didn't (and they don't). My fear is just being realized that a band I have grown to enjoy more and more is finally getting the fame they deserve and graduating to the big leagues of arena rock. While it's unfortunate that I would like to live in the past, these guys have to make a living and one could say it's important to evolve over time or else you run into the risk of boring your audience. Sorry to go off on a tangent, this is a show review afterall.
The setlist included all of the hits and dirty riffs that one would expect from a Black Keys show, but on a much larger scale compared to previous dates in the city. Last time they were in town there were three more songs played; five of which did not appear last night (two from Rubber Factory, one from each of Attack & Release, Thickfreakness, and Brothers), so perhaps I'm just feeling spoiled by past experiences.
Their studio material has not changed for the worse in my opinion, as I enjoyed Brothers in its own way compared to Rubber Factory or Magic Potion. The fact that they're diversifying their style is fine and I will continue to enjoy the past albums (seventh is due out this year), but the band has shifted my expectations for their live show and this has landed them in a different territory than what I expected Thursday afternoon (further from say, NXNE and closer to the Foo Fighters). That's okay (I guess), things change, relationships evolve, it's just not what I expected last night. A "bad" Black Keys show is still a freakin' Black Keys show where Dan rocks all of our faces off on guitar or where Patrick beats the holy hell out of the drums. I wasn't a fan of the different ways in which they are now performing certain songs, but the source material is still very strong and perhaps I can chalk this up to being a phase of the group (the Arctic Monkeys went darker in 2009, then light again in 2011, for example).
There are many things in my life that I was doing one or five years ago that I don't enjoy doing anymore, so I have to give the guys the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they're just trying something different in order to keep things exciting (they do seem to tour relentlessly afterall). I've been told they're nice guys and I'm sure they are, I was just disappointed with the feel of this show compared to a typical Black Keys show. Oh well, I still have tickets to Tuesday night's show in London; perhaps I will have more fun at that one now that my expectations are a little more grounded.
Cage the Elephant opened with a thirty-minute set featuring favourites from both their self-titled and 2011's Thank You, Happy Birthday. I had only listened to the former on occasion and was not overly familiar with their material, but hits like In One Ear, Shake Me Down, and break-out Ain't No Rest For the Wicked went over extremely well with the audience. Frontman Matthew Shultz certainly lived up to his energetic reputation by moving onto the floor early in the set and then crowd-surfing towards the end. I'll give them points for their energy, but I found the vocals were fairly muffled which may have been a combination of the venue or the lead singer, who knows.
Closing out the evening on the roof of the venue was The Coppertone, but unfortunately we were unable to catch her/their set as we were amongst the masses trying to escape the venue.
Setlist (The Black Keys):
Thickfreakness
Girl Is On My Mind
The Breaks
Stack Shot Billy
Busted
Act Nice and Gentle
Everlasting Light
Next Girl
Chop and Change
Howlin' For You
Tighten Up
She's Long Gone
Ten Cent Pistol
I'll Be Your Man
Strange Times
I Got Mine
Sinister Kid
Your Touch
Album Breakdown:
Brothers: 7
The Big Come Up: 3
Rubber Factory: 3
Attack & Release: 2
Magic Potion: 1
Thickfreakness: 1
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: 1
Setlist (Cage The Elephant):
2024
In One Ear
Aberdeen
Tiny Robots
Around My Head
Japanese Buffalo
Back Against the Wall
Indy Kidz
Ain't No Rest for the Wicked
Shake Me Down
Sabretooth Tiger
Album Breakdown:
Thank You Happy Birthday: 7
Cage The Elephant: 4
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Review - Sam Roberts Band (Toronto, ON)
Sam Roberts Band w/ Zeus
Massey Hall
Toronto, ON
Saturday, June 4, 2011
In order to reduce confusion, I'll start off by saying that Sam Roberts Band is not one dude... it's a band (as the name suggests). The group features Sam Roberts on lead vocals and guitar as well as Dave Nugent (guitar), Eric Fares (keys), James Hall (bass), and Josh Trager (drums).
So having said that, fresh off the release of their latest album Collider, Sam Roberts Band came to town this past weekend with two shows at the sold-out Massey Hall in Toronto. I have always considered myself to be a casual fan of the band and unfortunately did not check them out live until this past Saturday, despite them putting on shows in recent years in Mississauga, Brampton, and countless other smaller cities outside of Toronto. Almost as if I was avoiding them.
Leading up to the show I was having difficulty finding someone to use the extra ticket we had (row 8, floor) and was becoming skeptical about how the show itself would turn out. Fortunately, I am pleased to say they played a solid set and had the crowd in a frenzy. Plenty of sing-along moments (primarily on older hits like Good People and Eileen) and other opportunities to loosen up. Alot of the night for me was remembering just how many songs of theirs I enjoy and that I need to revisit their discography to further refresh my memory. I need to better familiarize myself with the new album, but the songs played from there still went over well and provided some incentive for me to get around to it.
Couple funny highlights include the set-closing combo of Brother Down and Them Kids where ironically during the latter, some of us on the floor (in my section anyways) were bobbing our heads instead of actually dancing, whoops! Spotted a guy on the stage-right gallery during this song trying to inspire the audience who was equally as reserved as us floor folk, funny stuff. The former was definitely a fun track though, one that I had not really heard in a while too. I'm going to use the defense that everybody was worn out by the time the closer started (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!).
The encore was actually what sealed the deal for me that I will definitely be needing to check them out again (and again). Starting off with I Feel You and Uprising, they broke out the extremely trippy and jam-inspiring track Mind Flood, a song that I personally had not heard before. One friend that I was with had seen them seven times and afterwards told me that she had not seen that song live before, and I'll tell you this, it's a hell of a set-closer. For starters I didn't expect a huge jam at this show and I also didn't predict it would rival the first time I heard Warsaw by Them Crooked Vultures live. As the show concluded, members of the band (including Sam himself) made a strong effort to shake hands and interact with the crowd on the floor. I was in the 8th row and managed to shake hands with him, so I thought that was pretty cool and not usually what I get at shows; total class-act.
With the show having a great deal of positive energy and a ton of upbeat tracks, one couldn't help but enjoy themselves because of it. Upon playing a nice balance of familiar songs, new material, and some rare tracks, I can't help but recommend checking them out the next time they're in town (Niagara on the Lake June 18th, Buffalo September 2nd, Kee to Bala September 3rd and 4th). The band came on at roughly 9:05 (earlier than the scheduled 9:15) and finished up around 10:50 which made for a satisfying night.
The opener for the weekend was a band called Zeus who also put on a solid set. Any band that can switch instruments multiple times during a gig gains points with me! This was my first time hearing them and I will certainly be checking out their studio material when I get the opportunity; also keeping an eye open for when they return to the GTA (September 9th at Yonge-Dundas Square).
Setlist:
The Last Crusade
Streets of Heaven (Promises, Promises)
Fixed To Ruin
Where Have All the Good People Gone?
Let It In
Taj Mahal
Up Sister
Dead End
Hard Road
Words and Fire
Detroit '67
Graveyard Shift
Don't Walk Away Eileen
Without a Map
Bridge to Nowhere
Brother Down
Them Kids
I Feel You
Uprising Down Under
Mind Flood
Album Breakdown:
Collider: 6
Love at the End of the World: 5
We Were Born in a Flame: 5
Chemical City: 3
+ "Brother Down" (difficult to categorize)
Massey Hall
Toronto, ON
Saturday, June 4, 2011
In order to reduce confusion, I'll start off by saying that Sam Roberts Band is not one dude... it's a band (as the name suggests). The group features Sam Roberts on lead vocals and guitar as well as Dave Nugent (guitar), Eric Fares (keys), James Hall (bass), and Josh Trager (drums).
So having said that, fresh off the release of their latest album Collider, Sam Roberts Band came to town this past weekend with two shows at the sold-out Massey Hall in Toronto. I have always considered myself to be a casual fan of the band and unfortunately did not check them out live until this past Saturday, despite them putting on shows in recent years in Mississauga, Brampton, and countless other smaller cities outside of Toronto. Almost as if I was avoiding them.
Leading up to the show I was having difficulty finding someone to use the extra ticket we had (row 8, floor) and was becoming skeptical about how the show itself would turn out. Fortunately, I am pleased to say they played a solid set and had the crowd in a frenzy. Plenty of sing-along moments (primarily on older hits like Good People and Eileen) and other opportunities to loosen up. Alot of the night for me was remembering just how many songs of theirs I enjoy and that I need to revisit their discography to further refresh my memory. I need to better familiarize myself with the new album, but the songs played from there still went over well and provided some incentive for me to get around to it.
Couple funny highlights include the set-closing combo of Brother Down and Them Kids where ironically during the latter, some of us on the floor (in my section anyways) were bobbing our heads instead of actually dancing, whoops! Spotted a guy on the stage-right gallery during this song trying to inspire the audience who was equally as reserved as us floor folk, funny stuff. The former was definitely a fun track though, one that I had not really heard in a while too. I'm going to use the defense that everybody was worn out by the time the closer started (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!).
The encore was actually what sealed the deal for me that I will definitely be needing to check them out again (and again). Starting off with I Feel You and Uprising, they broke out the extremely trippy and jam-inspiring track Mind Flood, a song that I personally had not heard before. One friend that I was with had seen them seven times and afterwards told me that she had not seen that song live before, and I'll tell you this, it's a hell of a set-closer. For starters I didn't expect a huge jam at this show and I also didn't predict it would rival the first time I heard Warsaw by Them Crooked Vultures live. As the show concluded, members of the band (including Sam himself) made a strong effort to shake hands and interact with the crowd on the floor. I was in the 8th row and managed to shake hands with him, so I thought that was pretty cool and not usually what I get at shows; total class-act.
With the show having a great deal of positive energy and a ton of upbeat tracks, one couldn't help but enjoy themselves because of it. Upon playing a nice balance of familiar songs, new material, and some rare tracks, I can't help but recommend checking them out the next time they're in town (Niagara on the Lake June 18th, Buffalo September 2nd, Kee to Bala September 3rd and 4th). The band came on at roughly 9:05 (earlier than the scheduled 9:15) and finished up around 10:50 which made for a satisfying night.
The opener for the weekend was a band called Zeus who also put on a solid set. Any band that can switch instruments multiple times during a gig gains points with me! This was my first time hearing them and I will certainly be checking out their studio material when I get the opportunity; also keeping an eye open for when they return to the GTA (September 9th at Yonge-Dundas Square).
Setlist:
The Last Crusade
Streets of Heaven (Promises, Promises)
Fixed To Ruin
Where Have All the Good People Gone?
Let It In
Taj Mahal
Up Sister
Dead End
Hard Road
Words and Fire
Detroit '67
Graveyard Shift
Don't Walk Away Eileen
Without a Map
Bridge to Nowhere
Brother Down
Them Kids
I Feel You
Uprising Down Under
Mind Flood
Album Breakdown:
Collider: 6
Love at the End of the World: 5
We Were Born in a Flame: 5
Chemical City: 3
+ "Brother Down" (difficult to categorize)
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Review - This Will Destroy You (Toronto, ON)
This Will Destroy You w/ John LaMonica
Lee's Palace
Toronto, ON
Monday, May 30, 2011
With regards to the band, this isn't a positive review, but I had to share my thoughts (if only to take some heat or to maybe even help someone improve; there's a good part towards the end). The day began with myself on the fence about checking out Friendly Fires over at the Phoenix; a band for whom I was told was a lot of fun to experience live. This mixed with the lovely weather we received yesterday throughout the GTA really pushed me to go check out a fun show in the city. Unfortunately, due to illness the band was unable to perform in Toronto and as a result we were left scrambling to find something to do.
The majority of my concert-going experiences have been of the larger nature, generally. I've seen a handful of shows at the Air Canada Centre, the Molson Amphitheatre, and then some of relatively smaller, yet large venues like the Kool Haus where alot of the times gigs are booked well in advance and I know who's in town ahead of time. I have been to a bunch of smaller shows for bands that I already knew of at smaller venues in the city, like Lee's Palace or the Horseshoe Tavern, but rarely have I entered blindly into a show just to check out a new band. Upon searching Twitter and Google after dinner yesterday and browsing various Toronto websites I wasn't able to locate a definitive listing that would help narrow down our search so we decided to check out Lee's Palace for a band called This Will Destroy You.
Upon previewing their material on YouTube I found myself enjoying what I was listening to and it certainly seemed good for relaxation, studying, or just background music for sitting on the grass on a summer afternoon. I typically don't make it to shows of this nature and picture them being the type of band I would check out for a bit at a festival, but not going out of my way to see. Whatever, $15... let's take the plunge, never know... maybe I'll meet my future wife there.
Hands-down... the worst show I have ever been to. We left after maybe 20 minutes when they played (I think) two songs. One just sounded like noise, the other 15-minutes was some dude pressing the keys and the seated guitarist rocking out (but not actually producing much sound). Awful show. Despite this extreme dislike for how the show turned out, I have talked to a couple people who are actually fans of the band and apparently they have attended shows similar to last night and others that were in the complete opposite direction. For now, I'll maybe check out one of their albums and throw them in the low-priority pile. Too bad. I could be less harsh on it and suggest they ARE that band I would maybe see for a song or two at a festival and not think of again, but they are under the microscope for today since I went out of my way to see them and was actually disappointed by what I saw. Oh well.
Despite this, there was some good that came from things as I was able to help locate a definitive listing of shows in the city (previously used Eye Weekly, but am having issues locating the same information on their new site, The Grid TO). The fine folks at NOW Magazine have a sweet listing of shows (I'm sure they're missing some) which for now will serve me well. Infact, it led me to the band Sons of York for whom sound like they could be fun. May go check them out tomorrow night at The Smiling Buddha in Toronto.
Win some, lose some, but hey... at least now I was able to find a pretty good source of concert listings for last minute shows in the city.
Setlist (courtesy of setlist.fm for reasons listed above):
Little Smoke
Glass Realms
Communal Blood
Burial on the Presidio Banks
Black Dunes
There Are Some Remedies Worse Than the Disease
Killed The Lord, Left For The New World
Quiet
Album Breakdown:
Tunnel Blanket: 5
This Will Destroy You: 1
Young Mountain: 2
Lee's Palace
Toronto, ON
Monday, May 30, 2011
With regards to the band, this isn't a positive review, but I had to share my thoughts (if only to take some heat or to maybe even help someone improve; there's a good part towards the end). The day began with myself on the fence about checking out Friendly Fires over at the Phoenix; a band for whom I was told was a lot of fun to experience live. This mixed with the lovely weather we received yesterday throughout the GTA really pushed me to go check out a fun show in the city. Unfortunately, due to illness the band was unable to perform in Toronto and as a result we were left scrambling to find something to do.
The majority of my concert-going experiences have been of the larger nature, generally. I've seen a handful of shows at the Air Canada Centre, the Molson Amphitheatre, and then some of relatively smaller, yet large venues like the Kool Haus where alot of the times gigs are booked well in advance and I know who's in town ahead of time. I have been to a bunch of smaller shows for bands that I already knew of at smaller venues in the city, like Lee's Palace or the Horseshoe Tavern, but rarely have I entered blindly into a show just to check out a new band. Upon searching Twitter and Google after dinner yesterday and browsing various Toronto websites I wasn't able to locate a definitive listing that would help narrow down our search so we decided to check out Lee's Palace for a band called This Will Destroy You.
Upon previewing their material on YouTube I found myself enjoying what I was listening to and it certainly seemed good for relaxation, studying, or just background music for sitting on the grass on a summer afternoon. I typically don't make it to shows of this nature and picture them being the type of band I would check out for a bit at a festival, but not going out of my way to see. Whatever, $15... let's take the plunge, never know... maybe I'll meet my future wife there.
Hands-down... the worst show I have ever been to. We left after maybe 20 minutes when they played (I think) two songs. One just sounded like noise, the other 15-minutes was some dude pressing the keys and the seated guitarist rocking out (but not actually producing much sound). Awful show. Despite this extreme dislike for how the show turned out, I have talked to a couple people who are actually fans of the band and apparently they have attended shows similar to last night and others that were in the complete opposite direction. For now, I'll maybe check out one of their albums and throw them in the low-priority pile. Too bad. I could be less harsh on it and suggest they ARE that band I would maybe see for a song or two at a festival and not think of again, but they are under the microscope for today since I went out of my way to see them and was actually disappointed by what I saw. Oh well.
Despite this, there was some good that came from things as I was able to help locate a definitive listing of shows in the city (previously used Eye Weekly, but am having issues locating the same information on their new site, The Grid TO). The fine folks at NOW Magazine have a sweet listing of shows (I'm sure they're missing some) which for now will serve me well. Infact, it led me to the band Sons of York for whom sound like they could be fun. May go check them out tomorrow night at The Smiling Buddha in Toronto.
Win some, lose some, but hey... at least now I was able to find a pretty good source of concert listings for last minute shows in the city.
Setlist (courtesy of setlist.fm for reasons listed above):
Little Smoke
Glass Realms
Communal Blood
Burial on the Presidio Banks
Black Dunes
There Are Some Remedies Worse Than the Disease
Killed The Lord, Left For The New World
Quiet
Album Breakdown:
Tunnel Blanket: 5
This Will Destroy You: 1
Young Mountain: 2
Monday, 23 May 2011
Review - Arctic Monkeys (Toronto, ON)
Arctic Monkeys w/ The Vaccines
Kool Haus
Toronto, ON
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Set to release their next album on June 6th entitled Suck It and See, the Arctic Monkeys came to town on Saturday and for the third time in my life I was fortunate to check them out.
The band was far more cheerful compared to their last Toronto date in 2009 while on the tour for Humbug (that being a Tuesday night and not Saturday). Alex Turner (lead singer) interacted alot more with the crowd on this evening and felt looser overall. The new songs they played all seemed to go over quite well, though the old old stuff was definitely the most popular and energetic. When The Sun Goes Down was a huge hit during the encore with the crowd, and Brick by Brick improved quite a bit in the live setting.
As what tends to happen every so often, I was disappointed with the amount of annoying people I encountered during the last two songs. Meathead #1 moved directly in front of me for the encore and during When the Sun Goes Down was checking his phone while sorta fist-pumping (except with the fingers stretched out, y'know), clearly not knowing the song. I moved about 3 people to my right when I saw a gap, only to be standing next to a girl who yelled all of the words to Fluorescent Adolescent into my right ear.
Having said that, the show was certainly a good time and the crowd ate it all up. I noticed that some songs didn't seem as grim as they did last time (This House is a Circus, for one), perhaps it had something to do with the bands sound from the previous album going in a darker direction.
Opening the show were The Vaccines whose set was okay. I had higher expectations for them and was kind of hoping that they would be more fun. A few songs hit the mark but on the whole their set felt pretty repetitive. I've been told better things by others so perhaps I'll check them out at Lolla if the schedule allows me to.
Setlist:
Library Pictures
Brianstorm
This House Is A Circus
Still Take You Home
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Pretty Visitors
Teddy Picker
Crying Lightning
She's Thunderstorms
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Potion Approaching
Brick by Brick
If You Were There, Beware
Do Me A Favour
Cornerstone
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
The View From The Afternoon
When The Sun Goes Down
Fluorescent Adolescent
Album Breakdown:
Favourite Worst Nightmare: 6
Suck it and See: 5
Humbug: 4
Whatever People Say I Am,...: 4
Kool Haus
Toronto, ON
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Set to release their next album on June 6th entitled Suck It and See, the Arctic Monkeys came to town on Saturday and for the third time in my life I was fortunate to check them out.
The band was far more cheerful compared to their last Toronto date in 2009 while on the tour for Humbug (that being a Tuesday night and not Saturday). Alex Turner (lead singer) interacted alot more with the crowd on this evening and felt looser overall. The new songs they played all seemed to go over quite well, though the old old stuff was definitely the most popular and energetic. When The Sun Goes Down was a huge hit during the encore with the crowd, and Brick by Brick improved quite a bit in the live setting.
As what tends to happen every so often, I was disappointed with the amount of annoying people I encountered during the last two songs. Meathead #1 moved directly in front of me for the encore and during When the Sun Goes Down was checking his phone while sorta fist-pumping (except with the fingers stretched out, y'know), clearly not knowing the song. I moved about 3 people to my right when I saw a gap, only to be standing next to a girl who yelled all of the words to Fluorescent Adolescent into my right ear.
Having said that, the show was certainly a good time and the crowd ate it all up. I noticed that some songs didn't seem as grim as they did last time (This House is a Circus, for one), perhaps it had something to do with the bands sound from the previous album going in a darker direction.
Opening the show were The Vaccines whose set was okay. I had higher expectations for them and was kind of hoping that they would be more fun. A few songs hit the mark but on the whole their set felt pretty repetitive. I've been told better things by others so perhaps I'll check them out at Lolla if the schedule allows me to.
Setlist:
Library Pictures
Brianstorm
This House Is A Circus
Still Take You Home
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Pretty Visitors
Teddy Picker
Crying Lightning
She's Thunderstorms
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Potion Approaching
Brick by Brick
If You Were There, Beware
Do Me A Favour
Cornerstone
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
The View From The Afternoon
When The Sun Goes Down
Fluorescent Adolescent
Album Breakdown:
Favourite Worst Nightmare: 6
Suck it and See: 5
Humbug: 4
Whatever People Say I Am,...: 4
Edgefest 2009 - Recap
Please note that this entry was written in June 2009. I just needed a good entry to kick things off on here in order to test the process. :)
Festival started at 12, entered at 12:15, but from the line in was able to see...
The Johnstones (12:00) - Fun, 15-minute set. Friend of mine knows the band personally as they went to school with us but this was a good way to start the day; surprised they didn't have a longer set since it was pretty upbeat. Was able to get in and enjoy my two sandwiches during their last few songs.
Still Life Still (12:35) - Not bad, pretty much what you'd expect from a 12:35 side stage band.
Arkells (1:30) - I have a feeling they're in that "good, not great" category, but I really really hope these guys do well. Love the lead singers voice and their potential. "Oh, The Boss Is Comin'" blew the crowd away, great tune!
The Stills (2:20) - I was restless during this set since everyone I was with had visited the beer tent already, but just when I kept trying to pull away for a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) I was intrigued to stay. They put on a good set that I literally couldn't pull myself away from. I'm surprised they didn't do "Still In Love Song" as well since it's what I associate with them.
K-OS (3:10) - I missed it. I was walking around (got that Coke), met up with some friends who were sitting on the hill at the time and kinda used this set for downtime and listened to it. Seemed okay, I've always been on the fence with him.
Metric (4:10) - Wow. I'm sold. I knew the singles, like the singles, but some reason didn't GET the hype around them. Emily is great and a very charming front woman; I like her and their set was solid. Surprised at how muddy this one got (big mudslide, stage right where I was) but I think the crowd was really just wanting to let loose.
Alexisonfire (5:40) - Watched this from the beer tent (where there was female mud wrestling occurring feet away from me) and since I've never been too big on them it doesn't seem like I missed much. One guy on the TTC home was saying how their set was disappointing since they didn't play much off the new album. I prefer Alexisonfire to K-OS, but since I had beer tickets I wanted to get those before planting for Billy Talent.
Moneen (6:40) - Saw about 20 minutes of their set while en route to the porto potty (4 beers in less than an hour, plus the Coke earlier did the trick). All I remember of their set was them telling the crowd right near the end that they've been bummed out since 2007 for not getting many gigs. Buzzkill!
AFI (7:10) - Remains a mystery. I managed to get about 10th row for this (and Billy Talent) and no one really knew their material, just the couple hits. I'll summarize my thoughts on this choice after...
Billy Talent (8:50) - Knocked it out of the freakin' park! Awesome set! Was expecting the dramatic opening as with the arena tour and they just kind of came on (not even opening with "This Is How It Goes", which was the usual for the shows I'd seen) and got to business. Interesting, but great choice of playing "The Ex" second, their forgotten single I think. I could plow through song by song and review but I had a blast, enough said. :) Had heard the new album in the last week or so and as a result was one of the few in my area familiar with "Devil On My Shoulder" and "Saint Veronika", still hits with the crowd. I truly believe they didn't intend to do that encore of "Nothing To Lose". They had done all the songs they usually do live and always wrap up with "Try Honesty" then finish the encore with "Red Flag", but I'm so glad they didn't leave the crowd disappointed with the lack of encore. Loved their set; had a stressful week and this was great to let loose, also meet some cool people in the process.
===============================================
Festival thoughts:
I feel as if the order of the bands was set up to bring people into the park earlier. The Arkells are more topical than freakin' AFI, but having them open was a good choice instead of The Stills which, as successful as they have been, don't have as much draw-value to the common "Edge listener" (at least in my mind). So Arkells, Stills, Metric/K-OS could've gone either way. Alexisonfire could have easily been before Billy Talent but I feel as if AFI was put there to provide some balance for the crowd to come down from. Of course, Billy Talent closing made the most sense.
Really like how easily we were allowed to bring food/beverages in; I brought two sandwiches with me but friends of mine had a ton of snacks. I'm not sure which beer arrangement I prefer: a) buying tickets for beer THEN buying the beer using the tickets or b) just going through one person. This weekend was a bit of a clusterfuck, but in hindsight it probably was better how they did it. V-Fest '08 was a mess.
I feel I got my money's worth with Metric/Billy Talent, Arkells, Stills, and even the minor set by the Johnstones.
Festival started at 12, entered at 12:15, but from the line in was able to see...
The Johnstones (12:00) - Fun, 15-minute set. Friend of mine knows the band personally as they went to school with us but this was a good way to start the day; surprised they didn't have a longer set since it was pretty upbeat. Was able to get in and enjoy my two sandwiches during their last few songs.
Still Life Still (12:35) - Not bad, pretty much what you'd expect from a 12:35 side stage band.
Arkells (1:30) - I have a feeling they're in that "good, not great" category, but I really really hope these guys do well. Love the lead singers voice and their potential. "Oh, The Boss Is Comin'" blew the crowd away, great tune!
The Stills (2:20) - I was restless during this set since everyone I was with had visited the beer tent already, but just when I kept trying to pull away for a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) I was intrigued to stay. They put on a good set that I literally couldn't pull myself away from. I'm surprised they didn't do "Still In Love Song" as well since it's what I associate with them.
K-OS (3:10) - I missed it. I was walking around (got that Coke), met up with some friends who were sitting on the hill at the time and kinda used this set for downtime and listened to it. Seemed okay, I've always been on the fence with him.
Metric (4:10) - Wow. I'm sold. I knew the singles, like the singles, but some reason didn't GET the hype around them. Emily is great and a very charming front woman; I like her and their set was solid. Surprised at how muddy this one got (big mudslide, stage right where I was) but I think the crowd was really just wanting to let loose.
Alexisonfire (5:40) - Watched this from the beer tent (where there was female mud wrestling occurring feet away from me) and since I've never been too big on them it doesn't seem like I missed much. One guy on the TTC home was saying how their set was disappointing since they didn't play much off the new album. I prefer Alexisonfire to K-OS, but since I had beer tickets I wanted to get those before planting for Billy Talent.
Moneen (6:40) - Saw about 20 minutes of their set while en route to the porto potty (4 beers in less than an hour, plus the Coke earlier did the trick). All I remember of their set was them telling the crowd right near the end that they've been bummed out since 2007 for not getting many gigs. Buzzkill!
AFI (7:10) - Remains a mystery. I managed to get about 10th row for this (and Billy Talent) and no one really knew their material, just the couple hits. I'll summarize my thoughts on this choice after...
Billy Talent (8:50) - Knocked it out of the freakin' park! Awesome set! Was expecting the dramatic opening as with the arena tour and they just kind of came on (not even opening with "This Is How It Goes", which was the usual for the shows I'd seen) and got to business. Interesting, but great choice of playing "The Ex" second, their forgotten single I think. I could plow through song by song and review but I had a blast, enough said. :) Had heard the new album in the last week or so and as a result was one of the few in my area familiar with "Devil On My Shoulder" and "Saint Veronika", still hits with the crowd. I truly believe they didn't intend to do that encore of "Nothing To Lose". They had done all the songs they usually do live and always wrap up with "Try Honesty" then finish the encore with "Red Flag", but I'm so glad they didn't leave the crowd disappointed with the lack of encore. Loved their set; had a stressful week and this was great to let loose, also meet some cool people in the process.
===============================================
Festival thoughts:
I feel as if the order of the bands was set up to bring people into the park earlier. The Arkells are more topical than freakin' AFI, but having them open was a good choice instead of The Stills which, as successful as they have been, don't have as much draw-value to the common "Edge listener" (at least in my mind). So Arkells, Stills, Metric/K-OS could've gone either way. Alexisonfire could have easily been before Billy Talent but I feel as if AFI was put there to provide some balance for the crowd to come down from. Of course, Billy Talent closing made the most sense.
Really like how easily we were allowed to bring food/beverages in; I brought two sandwiches with me but friends of mine had a ton of snacks. I'm not sure which beer arrangement I prefer: a) buying tickets for beer THEN buying the beer using the tickets or b) just going through one person. This weekend was a bit of a clusterfuck, but in hindsight it probably was better how they did it. V-Fest '08 was a mess.
I feel I got my money's worth with Metric/Billy Talent, Arkells, Stills, and even the minor set by the Johnstones.
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