After the manic week that was SXSW, it would be fair to say that the idea of going to another festival was nothing short of horrifying. But after a couple of nights in Vegas, and enough sleep to return some energy levels (along with the attendance of David Copperfield), we once again hit the ground running as we arrived in Toronto for the second consecutive year – only this time it was closer to 20 degrees than minus 20. A beautiful late winter heat wave had hit the city and we were in the middle of it.
The best part of this was that it meant that – day or night – I was able to wander the streets and discover the ins and outs of this amazing city. For my first night I made it my mission to do just that, and wandered from venue to venue. I started out at The Velvet Underground, where Islands were supposed to play. Unfortunately they had cancelled last minute but I stuck around anyway. First up were Quartered, a five piece, high energy metal group from Vancouver. Nothing new could be found here – at times I was reminded of Dead Letter Circus, at other time the sort of metal with screamy, indiscernible lyrics; the lead singer jumping between the two vocal styles with ease, while the strobe lights were cranked to eleven behind him. Certainly an impressive outcome, and with a laid back bass player (think reggae styles), they served their genre proud, while also being a bit of a contrast to other bands in the genre in which the instrumentation is pretty nuts.
Would have been an odd band to open for Islands, and as that side of music ain’t my bag I made tracks next to discover Cherry Cola, a super cool Rock n Roll burlesque bar around the corner, where Breached were just finishing up their show, covering (and rockin’ hard) “In The Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett. The room was drenched in red lights, Eagles of Death Metal posters and more. A beautiful hole in the wall, with cabaret lounge attire strung throughout. A must see venue when you’re in Toronto.
Moving back to Velvet, Austria/UK trio Bensh were the last minute replacements for Islands and impressed with super fun pop(ish) songs, with synth, backing tracks and two guitars. A bit of that lo-fi Pheonix-esque European sound with a touch of Datarock (in a new wave rap sort of way), Bob Dylan (in the way that ‘rap’ style is sometimes delivered) and Kasabian (see the instrumental track “Juice”) thrown in for good measure. A mixed bag that definitely works, with tracks like the aforementioned “Juice” easily remixable for the dance floor, while “Sweet Trapeda???” and “Doubt” are both triple j hits in the making. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of these guys… Let’s get them a real live drummer though. Backing drum tracks ain’t my bag.
I moved onto the Revival Bar next, a bit of a walk away, but a great opportunity to catch up with headliners of the night, Die Mannequin, who you may remember we interviewed last year, but regretfully missed in the liver arena. Rest assured we made up for that this year. Phantom Black was playing when we arrived, a trio made up of a singer, guitarist and a DJ. Not a bad sound, with the sort of industrial rock that NIN are known for, but felt a bit like a karaoke act at times, especially considering their choice of “White Wedding” to cover at the end of the set.
All the way from Seashell, British Columbia, singer/songwriter Janet Panic was next, with a two piece behind her (Leo on Drums and Dale on Bass), here to promote the fact a new album was coming out later this year. As cool as Kim Deal and as talented as Fiona Apple, Janet exists somewhere between the two. The simple, classic riffs of the former and the inspired vocal delivery of the latter. At times there is a bit of a country tinge to the lyrics a la Shania Twain, but all these sorts of comparisons get a bit tired after a while. As a rocker, Janet Panic is a force unto herself. She owns her own style, sings songs “complaining about assholes”, and ultimately is simply a great listen. Check her out.
And finally it was time for the anticipated headline act of the night, infamous Toronto rockers Die Mannequin. Fronted by Care Failure, she looked every part the grungy rock chick in an ancient Van Halen world tour t-shirt, remarking on the band’s need for pyrotechnics, and growling into the microphone with heavy, no bullshit rock and roll… but still easy to sing along to. It’s the attitude Courtney Love wishes she had, exuded oh so naturally here with Care. I’m sure Dave Grohl would be a fan, and AC/DC would approve of her use of a beer bottle to play her guitar.
With a new album (and movie?) coming out in April, Care played some new songs, but kept the fans happy with some old favourites, too. She performed “Saved By” in the crowd, “Dead Honey” was a hit, as was “Bad Medicine”, “Miss Americunt” and a new track “All My Friends R Knives” went down a treat as well. This is a band who have yet to break the international market but if you’re a fan of some good rock and roll, this is definitely a band for you.
