If day one was a relaxed acoustic based experience, then day two was the night of the rock and roll. But first off, day two saw the conference itself launch at the beautiful (and historic) Fairmont Royal York Hotel. All standard conference fodder was included: Stalls full of people wanting to tell you about their product, hoards of people looking to network (including yours truly), and conferences and panels featuring a who’s who of the international music industry.
As one would expect, Australian’s made up part of this contingency, with John Watson and Michael Chugg amongst those gracing the event’s panels. Chuggy, naturally, was talking about promoting in the current climate, while getting in a few stabs at the Australian government. John Watson, meanwhile, was talking about artist management in a panel designed at showcasing how artists can gain global success and domination! Both discussions didn’t bring too much new to the table, though it was interesting to hear the Canadian perspective on the state of the industry. Their problems and concerns very much echo that of our own.
As the day of networking, snacking and drinking drew to a close (as well as the odd conference floor acoustic performance), it was time to enjoy the music. Much like the night before, the weather of Toronto and the distance between venues provided me with little incentive to jump between showcases, as is my usual agenda. So, I headed tonight to El Mocambo for a bit of rock and roll.
Things kicked off with a band from Victoria (British Columbia) called Acres of Lions. The young four piece delivered a high energy, entertaining set, but ultimately proved to be a “much of the same” genre experience, though they definitely proved themselves a talented outfit. Being a typical industry crowd, the audience remained fairly still for their set, in spite of some desperate attempts from the band for audience involvement. So perhaps, at the end of the day, this just wasn’t the place to experience them.
Australia’s own Birds of Tokyo were next, testing the whole “what works in Australia should work here” theory, playing through their best known tracks in a room with some spectacular sound, roughly the size of the Hopetoun (perhaps slightly larger). The point is: this was a damn intimate show for the Perth rockers, and it was a pretty special experience. I usually don’t sway to the side of loving these guys, but tonight, Ian Kenny and co. totally had me under their spell. “The Saddest Thing I Know” opened up the set, with “Broken Bones”, “Wild at Heart”, “Silhouettic” and “Plans” amongst the remainder. Rarely daring to engage true interaction, the band nonetheless connected with the crowd and seemed to win them over.
The Parlotones followed, a band from South Africa who have been making quite a name for themselves with their take on pop rock. In fact, you may have seen them at the FIFA World Cup Opening celebrations, sending their name and their sounds across the globe. The appropriate “Cup of Life” opened up proceedings, with other tracks including “Human After All” and “Get Over It” amongst the set. Their third time in Toronto, they definitely had their fans – a group of girls up the back screaming along to every work. Their sound is best described as some sort of Weezer and The Killers fusion, which while not terribly original, definitely packs a punch.
Hailing from Ottawa (not too far from Toronto), Amos The Transparent took us past midnight with a truly impressive set, as he and his band played their first club show since taking a hiatus at the end of last year. A few new tracks (recorded during said hiatus) were thrown in, though tracks such as “Weapons” from their last record was thrown in for good measure, and during “Greater than Consequence” the band invited a group of special guests onto the stage to sing along in a moment that saw the crowd momentarily lose themselves in it all. Not an easy port of call for one of these industry showcases.
Although other showcases beckoned, a reasonably early night was needed to be able to push through the rest of the week, and as such, Amos brought and end to my second day of Canadian Music Week. Join us back tomorrow to see how The Jezabels fared on the international stage…
