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The Priddle Concern Part-time Broken Social Scenester Bill Priddle took the stage at 8 p.m. Priddle first performed alone on the guitar before the rest of his band hopped on the stage and joined him to play “Everything’s Fine” and rocked the Reverb. Priddle himself was quite modest about appearing on the bill and even wondered if strings were pulled to get him on there. Priddle’s vocals are still youthful and sound just like he did in the 1990s during his nc-17 and Treble Charger days. While the band’s album mainly consisted of Priddle and guest musicians, his full band including Scott Remila (bass), Mitch Bowden (guitar) and Dave Dunham (drums) played like they had always known the material by heart. Priddle and Bowden alternated lead guitar duties, and during the “Make It Go Away,” they switched within the same song. Dunham looked thrilled behind the drum kit, bashing away on his cymbals with a grin from ear to ear. Although their set was fine, the audience was still quite sparse, with only photographers hovering near the front of the stage as if it was a media-only event. Still, there was quite a crowd there clapping after every song. Before playing “Like to Smoke,” Priddle announced he’s been nicotine-free for 18 months, which drew an applause from the audience. He admitted though he still like to romance about smoking, hence the name of the song. The band finished with “Care About You,” an ironically titled, guitar riff driven tune. Overall, the Priddle Concern played a solid set but one which would have benefitted from a larger audience. –Jon Brazeau
Modernboys Moderngirls Great energy and quirky lyrics characterized this group's performance at the Boat in Kensington Market on Thursday night. Kudos to the new female backup vocalists (had we in the audience not been told that this was your first show, we wouldn't have known—congrats!)
Shortwave This group's influences are unbelievably varied, but despite their eclecticism, they all meld seamlessly to create a live act that revs up the crowd and leaves it begging for more. They played the 1 am slot at Rancho Relaxo on Thursday night, and it was certainly a show to remember. The singer's unique vocals are complimented by the diverse range of instruments in the band—the greatest surprise of the night was when they were joined by a flautist who brought an extra dimension to the already intricate music being kicked up onstage. - Lana Winter
knifehandchop Seeing knifehandchop wasn’t really like going to a concert at all. One guy bobbing behind his computer doesn’t make for much of a stage show but no one in The Drake was much interested in what was on stage so much as what was pouring out of the speakers. This guy knows good electronic music, and how to keep a party moving. Dancers deep underground in the hotel’s basement were loving knifehandchop’s mix of hip-hop, dancehall and funky electronica tunes and not even the patrons in the back by the bar could help but at least bob their heads to the beat. The music never stopped and the DJ never popped out of the groove. It was a solid set of great dance music from one of Toronto’s best DJs. One couldn’t help but feel sorry for the patio dwellers a few floors above who mingled unaware of the great show below their feet. - Sam Stilson
Great Lake Swimmers With the Reverb packed and barely an inch of floor space remaining, ambient/folk band Great Lake Swimmers weren’t the only ones sweating in the building. Vocalist/guitarist Tony Dekker started things off on the acoustic guitar with the minimalist “Moving, Shaking.” Softly singing and plucking away at his guitar strings, Dekker’s sound warmed the crowd. He also set the tone of the set by starting off with a song from their 2003 self-titled debut album and then moving on to mix and weave tunes from the band’s discography when the rest of the band – Erik Arnesen, Greg Millson and Darcy Yates – joined him on stage. Arnesen was impressive on the banjo and electric guitar and Millson was all over his drum kit as his was constantly switching between using bells, drum sticks, mallets, brushes and just about anything else he could get his hands on. While the large crowd provided huge applause after every song, during Dekker’s softer moments, like “Moving Pictures, Silent Films,” it was impossible to just hear Dekker gently play the guitar without the occasional “yeah” or “woo” ruining the sombre, lull-to-sleep mood. While it hindered those songs, when the band rocked out, the audience participation added greatly. The band finished with “I Am Part of a Large Family,” with the audience singing along and making the band and crowd feel like, well, a large family. Although the crowd both helped and hindered the performance, it didn’t affect the band too much one way or another as they were on their game and simply fantastic. –Jon Brazeau
Basia Lyjak Basia tore up the stage of the Hard Rock Café on Friday night, reaffirming the fact that yes, Toronto girls can indeed rock. She roared out tunes to a packed crowd, channeling Chrissie Hynde with sheer vocal power and strutting ability, as well, the band playing with her complimented her singing with perfect timing and playing skill. The Holly McNarland and Heart influences are evident in her songs, and her lyrics are fun and sing-able without being contrived. - Lana Winter
Green Go Guelph band Green Go started their set a little lukewarm at the Supermarket. Rain-drenched patrons made their way to the back room, hoping to escape the storm outside as much as to see a show and did not seem that receptive initially to the band onstage. Then Green Go warmed up. Mixing electronic synths with intricate and smooth bass-lines, an impressive drummer and dueling vocalists, once this band hit their stride they were quite impressive. Band leader Ferenc Stenton dressed in a white tux, cranked his neck like a bobblehead while playing a variety of different instruments. Highlight “You Know You Want It” was well-received by the growing crowd who couldn’t help but dance as Stenton and sole female member Jess Tollefson traded lines on the catchy as hell chorus. An excellent showing from a young and talented band. - Sam Stilson
Laura Barrett Although billed just as herself, Laura Barrett called in a few friends from the local Toronto scene to help flesh out and flourish her sound. Joining here were six other musicians, playing the violin, the viola, oboe, bassoon, percussion and glockenspiel. It was probably possible for someone – anyone – in the audience to simply pick up a tambourine and join everyone on stage without anyone noticing they weren’t part of the band. On top of all that, Barrett wowed the crowd by singing and also playing the kalimba or the keyboard at the same time. She also delighted fans while playing the kazoo. Although the group experienced a bit of feedback at the start, Barrett’s quirky nature turned it into a positive as she said, “it wouldn’t be Friday the 13th without something going wrong.” Indeed, Barrett kept fans smiling and laughing in between songs as she was chatty with the audience. It’s simply hard not to like her charming nature. The multi-talented Barrett furiously plucked away on her kalimba while her powerful vocals dominated the club. She rocked the kalimba during “Foundland” as Joshua Van Tassel provided a foot-stomping drum beat. Barrett played tunes from her Earth Sciences EP as well as a few new ones from her upcoming full-length album Victory Garden, which is slated to be released in September. For the final song, “Deception Island Optimist Club,” (which Barrett said the audience were all honourary members) the rest of the band departed the stage, allowing Barrett to shine as a solo performer. For someone who’s also a member of the Hidden Cameras and Henri Faberge and the Adorables, Barrett showed she can do it all on her own. Sweet and sweaty, Barrett and her band played a delectable and unique 40 minute set, one which certainly stood out on its own. –Jon Brazeau
Beast Atmosphere. Therein lies the strength of Montreal trip rock band Beast. Building soundscapes around the astonishing voice of Beatrice Bonifassi, who was dressed in a tight black dress, with a buzzed head covered with a trilby hat and grimacing like Jean Chretien for those hard to reach notes, this band took their time to build their songs from simple bases to lush dense walls of sound. All the players were polished, but it was Bonifassi who alternated between rapping and absolutely belting out vocals who impressed the most. The crowd was decidedly impressed even if the guitarist seemed glued to the stage and the lyrical content at times was a little weak. Sonically Beast are impressive as all hell and really quite an experience to see live. - Sam Stilson
The Meligrove Band Although it’s been a couple years since their last album, Toronto trio the Meligrove Band managed to keep the crowd into their material, mixing old songs with new songs they hope to have on their next album. Occasionally joined by friends on the trumpets and Randy Lee from fellow Toronto band the Bicycles on violin, the Meligrove Band gave fans a treat of what they have in store for the future. Vocalist/guitarist Jason Nunes said he hoped the audience liked the new material and wouldn’t “tomato” him, before he wondered whether or not people still do that. Nunes’ microphone fell over at one point. He hopped over to the microphone near his keyboard and, hunched over, he continued to the sing without missing a line. While on guitar, Nunes jammed away on his strings and whipped up a frenzy. Drummer Darcy Rego was highly energetic on the drum kit, singing background vocals and chatting it up with the audience during the crowd. He said he loved the Toronto audience, which led to the other two members of the band to jokingly add that he said the same thing in Oakville. The crowd was thoroughly into the band’s set, with constant head-bobbing abound. The band ended their set with possibly their most famous song, “Our Love Will Make the World Go Round,” which demanded the audience to sing along. Surely enough, the crowd joined in on the fun, singing the background vocal callback, “Your love will make the world go round” during the song’s chorus. Nunes even felt the audience was singing better than he did. With the crowd and the band into it, the show was a bright moment in the Meligrove Band’s history and surely a sign of bright things to come in the future. –Jon Brazeau
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