Against Me! at the Guvernment, Toronto
October 1, 2007
Support: The Cancer Bats, The Dirty Tricks

I’d been listening to Against Me! since 2002 and went to see them every time they came to Toronto, but was terribly turned off of them after their 2005 release Searching for a Former Clarity, as well as their Opera House performance, which I believe was in early 2006. I swore off ever going to one of their shows again and didn’t plan on keeping an eye out for any news from the band in years to come (which at the time I didn’t think was even going to happen), but when I saw New Wave hit the shelves earlier this year, I couldn’t help but buy a copy.

Fortunately my AM! disdain was only temporary, and New Wave really grew on me after a few listens. Front man Tom Gabel still had that deep, forced sounding growl on some songs that only came about on Former Clarity but it worked a little better on this album, with a much more upbeat sound shadowing melancholy lyrics about junkies and war.

This album made a lot of older fans permanently disregard the band as “sellouts� which had been the ridiculous phrase being tossed at these guys for the last couple years. To me, AM! putting out a record like New Wave was them flipping off all those pretentious wannabe music connoisseurs, and letting them know (as they had been in interview after interview) that they don’t give a fuck what those kids think. It may seem ostentatious and slightly unintelligent to blatantly tell your fans you really don’t care what they think, but maybe it was just to show everyone they weren’t trying to fit into a niche to be the next NOFX. It’s not cool to be into a band that’s anti-establishment when they are on MTV. To a degree, this does make sense, but there’s a point where you need to look at music for what it is and not how the band is dressing and what venues their shows are at.

Girl Talk with Dan Deacon and White Williams
Phoenix Concert Theatre
September 12, 2007
Toronto, ON

I had high expectations going into the show of Girl Talk, aka Greg Gillis, the infamous party mix producer who has made a name for himself in a fairly controversial vein of music. Like precedent artist Dangermouse, Girl Talk takes the work of a plethora of artists before him, from genres all over the map, and creates complexly layered party anthems, that are about as much fun to dance to as they are to listen and try and pick out each artist he has used. I’ve been listening to his second album ‘Night Ripper’ for over a year now and still haven’t named them all. But like I said, I went into this show expecting one hell of a dance party, especially with Gillis bringing fellow DJ Dan Deacon and indie rockers White Williams alongside, and my hopes for a great show were blown away. Far, far away, to the point where I think this show can be placed in a category on its own. Let me try to explain…

Queens of the Stone Age
Centennial Hall, London, ON
August 22, 2007

Although I’d seen QOTSA twice before, I was giddy with excitement standing on the floor of the auditorium in London waiting for the guys to hit the stage -- a hall that was only about the size of a high school gymnasium (if gyms had balconies). That’s how good these guys are live. I could hardly stand still, only about 20 feet back from the stage they were about to wander out onto, grab their proverbial positions and launch into an explosive set.

They kicked off the show with “Monsters in the Parasol,� which was unexpected, but a killer opener. After the release of Era Vulgaris only a couple months earlier, I assumed the set list would essentially be the track list with a couple of old hits in the mix. It was entirely refreshing to see that this was not the case, with a brilliant extended version of “Burn the Witch� following “Monsters,� and later in the evening getting to hear “Go With the Flow,� which was delivered raw, hard and fast taking on somewhat of a punk vibe. Naturally, there were quite a few songs off Era, the first of the night being “Misfit Love,� my personal favourite. Queens really built the anticipation up on this one, repeating that first hard guitar riff over and over, front man Josh Homme making the crowd beg for the beginning falsetto lyrics he delivered perfectly.

There is a very sexual air about QOTSA, maybe it’s the music itself, or the way Mr. Homme swivels his hips behind his guitar in an Elvisesque manner, but these guys really embody the classic appeal of sex, drugs and rock & roll. No one in the band talks much, unless it’s Josh explicitly reaming some moronic kid in the audience out, which at one point seemed to be on the brink of happening. He retrieved a flashlight from the side of the stage and started searching through the first few rows of people, but then tossed it aside and blasted into another song. It was definitely somewhat of a relief; when bands get angry it’s always such a buzz kill.

Throughout the rest of the set Queens continued to throw in a few surprises and played several more Era songs that all translated fiercely well live. We heard “You Would Know� and “I Think I Lost My Headache,� which were ace song to throw in the mix, slowing down the pace a bit and focusing on melody more than the other hard rock tracks. But after all, it was a hard rock show, so when they blasted through songs like “In My Head,� “Little Sister,� “3’s & 7’s,� and “Do it Again� the crowd was going wild. They finished up the set with two of their big singles “No One Knows� and the latest release “Sick, Sick, Sick� to get everyone geared up for the encore.

I’m not going to lie, I loathe encores (or at least what everyone calls encores these days, where the band leaves and has more songs scheduled to play but waits for everyone to scream their guts out first) but it was worth the wait. They returned to the stage and played “Song for the Dead,� a phenomenal closer that had the band as well as the fans giving it their all. The energy in the room could have blown the roof off. This song was originally recorded with Dave Grohl on drums and is nothing short of mind blowing, so I wasn’t sure how it would sound live sans Grohl. The doubt in my mind was vanquished very quickly when his successor Joey Castillo took this song and made it his own. It sounded amazing, and watching Castillo throughout this song was insane. His arms flew across the kit at an unreal pace without missing a single beat; he was definitely the grand finale of the show.

Usually when you see a band live your liking for them either wildly increases or falters, and after this show QOTSA has solidified their position as one of my top favourite bands of all time.

Hawklsey Workman
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Massey Hall (Toronto, Canada)
http://www.hawksleyworkman.com
Photo: Nezo

A Treeful of Starling fell short of any expectations I had for Mr.Workman's greatly anticipated 5th full length release, so I wasn't sure what to expect of the show to promote the album. Having never been to Massey Hall I wasn't exactly sure what all the fuss was about, but hoped it would be a good time either way. In his typical fashion Hawksley came on moments after 8, the scheduled time for the show to start, sans openers. He kicked off the show with himself on a stool and acoustic guitar accompanied by Mr. Lonely, his faithful piano player beside him, and they went straight into "A Moth is Not a Butterfly" which in my opinion is probably the worst song ever written and created by the Hawk. Not off to a very good start, he went into a couple others off of the latest album, which all translated well into live performance, even if they aren't his best work. Then came the stories.

Hawksley shows are always amusing because he not only is a phenomenal multi-talented performer, he talks and talks and sips his wine (usually out of a plastic cup) and the facetious stories get longer and more interesting. So after a few songs he would interject with another tale about saving allowances to buy a television to tape onto his bicycle and watch Dr. Who throughout the summers or about how he 'gave up being cool' for Lent. His charismatic character shines through in these animated tales as he chuckles to himself as he tells them, with the audience in tears of laughter. But never one to disappoint, Mr. Workman delivered with the songs as well, which was what made me completely understand the honour around playing Massey Hall. I was blown away with the acoustics, his voice carrying throughout the entire hall perfectly whether it be a whisper or long, beautifully executed long note he carried on and on.

Keeping the show mostly low key and intimate, the entire set was himself and Mr. Lonely on piano, playing older classics like "Paper Shoes" and "Jealous of your Cigarette," as well as "Don't Be Crushed," which he played alone on the piano. Playing a handful of his last two albums as well, the set list was well chosen, but what really made the show was his charm. After gracefully thanking the audience and letting us know several times how proud they were to be playing at Massey Hall and how appreciative they were of the fans, they finished the set with his bassist Derek coming out to accompany them on "Ice Age". Adding some extra beats courtesy of Lonely, the song had a real chill, slow groove feel to it that finished up the show nicely. But the roar of the audience wouldn't die down, so they came back out for several encores.

Hawksley came back out and perched right on the edge of the stage with a banjo and nothing else saying that he felt like he was so far back all night, it was like we came to Toronto to see the show that was happening in Mississauga. With his banjo and powerful voice, he launched into "We Will Still Need a Song" that the audience sang along with, and it really began to feel almost like a circle of friends singing to each other around a fire. I'm getting ridiculously sappy here, but Hawksley has a way of taking a couple thousand people and bringing them together with their common love of his talent, and making the entire room feel like some sort of reunion of long lost friends. Throughout the show, Hawksley would stand to deliver his jagged and hard guitar playing throughout harder songs that eventually lead to a broken string, that didn't slow him down one bit. In slower more sensual tracks such as "Tarantulove" he let himself go, almost as though he had slipped into a daydream, stroking the guitar and moaning and breathing into the microphone for minutes on end.

His music recreates itself every time he's on the stage, and you can see his emotions surrounding each song pouring out through his fingers as he plays. With plenty of anecdotes surrounding each song and how it came to be, and about growing up in Toronto, and the surrounding area, the show went on for hours. As he delivered each song, he sang his heart out with his eyes closed shut, every so often taking a peek at Lonely and they would exchange an ecstatic smile. It's surreal to watch them play together; seeing them feed of each other's energy so much, and even after all the years of playing together it's obvious they still are blown away by the other's talent. At one point Workman stopped playing and just watched Lonely as the spotlight illuminated him pounding away at the keys, switching back and forth between instruments. He spent the evening surrounded in a cocoon of a keyboard, piano and mixer all of which he played with tremendous skill. Overall the show was breathtaking, beating out any performance I'd seen from Mr. Workman in the past, his animation and allure as he played and spoke to the adoring crowd leaving me giddy for hours afterwards.

Montreal boys the Stills used Vice records as a catalyst to their fame to break out to the scenesters far and wide (well, in Canada at least) with their debut Logic Will Break Your Heart. It had a sweet sound that wasn't very out of the ordinary, but when the sometimes dark and heartbreaking lyrics drenched in honesty hit you, it was addictive. They sang about love, drugs and sex, typical rock star themes, but somehow you could relate to it. You could lie back and listen to that record and let the imagery flood your mind, and every song could be a soundtrack to one night or another.

So when the Stills finally got around to putting out their second album, there were high expectations to deliver an album as real and personal as the first. Alas, Without Feathers came out a little under par after the band played musical chairs and let the hype of Logic go to their heads. Moving Dave Hamelin from drums to vocalist/guitarist and losing a lot of their charm, the Stills were back with their second album. It opens with a build up of guitar that slowly adds keyboard and other things into the mix, to a very pop melody that is deadened by Dave's flat vocals. The lyrics are mostly repetitive and nowhere near as touching as before; as well as the musical aspects being less innovative than Logic. With "Oh Shoplifter" and "It Takes Time" both having upbeat fairly danceable music but with lyrics that get almost annoying, the songs are ruined. Other songs drone on a little too long, with either poor song writing or Dave's voice simply being a little too much to handle in such a large dose, overall making the album less than impressive.

The band describes it as their journey through dealing with fame and breakups with girlfriends and the like, all things which typically could make a changed band with a great, matured second album, but The Stills seem to have lost their touch. Their charm of cleverly talking about girls and their virginity, night clubs and death is lost in poor singing and song writing, with boring music underneath it all, even on tracks that attempt to revive their dance rock vibe. As with every record there are a couple exceptions, such as "Helicopters" which may be explained by the fact that original Stills singer Tim is taking care of the lead vocals. "Helicopters" is a long buildup of pulsing guitar and the sorrow filled question "Why do you take this so hard?" that rocks out at the end and the vibe of the whole song is almost like a throwback to the feel of the debut album. Great for dancing without needing any sort of electro beats as well, which makes it superb. It is followed by "In The End" a ballad about an unattainable, lonely girl but finishes up with fun keyboard melodies and with Tim's vocals making it much more listenable, this is another great track to give a little bit of merit to Without Feathers. A few other tracks are fun, but overall the album has taken a slide downhill, which probably doesn't lead to anything else noteworthy coming from the Stills boys anytime in the near future.

Part 1 here.

Sunday, the second and final day of Coachella, brought the same early wakeups and heat the first day had. Everyone had crashed fairly early the night before, and we'd had little time to exchange stories of what sets were best, what injuries were witnessed, and who we wanted to catch the next day. Luckily, we could head off into town again, for coffee and bathrooms, and to have these discussions. The day ahead appeared to be busier than the first, which was intimidating, especially since the weather was supposed to get at least 10 degrees hotter than it had been. But we were as ready as we could be, and we headed in early to catch Be Your Own Pet, who I had thought had one of the opening slots.

Turns out they weren't on until 1:00 so we wandered around, got our photo taken by Spin magazine at their booth, all the while I could hear this phenomenal band playing. They were instrumental, well, not even really instrumental, mostly chill-out DJ type beats, which I quickly fell in love with. I found out it was the Octopus Project, a band I'd never heard of before, but headed off to pick their album up at the Virgin store, which had surprisingly cheap CDs (and vinyl! Which I sadly had to resist). It was surprising to realize how many bands I didn't know that were playing, when I had been checking out the website months earlier dreaming up ways I could get myself to California I thought I had known the majority. But really, that ended up being one of the great factors of the entire experience, getting into so many new bands, either by just catching a bit of their set, or having people tell you about them. The same thing happened once we decided to mosey over to Be Your Own Pet's stage, a band whose energy was spilling out of their tent was playing. We got closer and saw three guys in all black, with red accents like ties or trim, rocking out harder than I thought possible in the heat. You couldn't watch them and not start moving yourself, their energy simply diffused into the crowd. These guys were the Infadels, and they played hard and fast, pumping out a mixture of electro, charged vocals and rock. We enjoyed the last bit of their set until we got over to Be Your Own Pet.

Be Your Own Pet hit the stage and pummeled right into their first song. The front woman Jemina had a real I-don't-give-a-fuck sort of attitude, possibly trying to be our generation's Joan Jett (but sans guitar). She danced until I thought she might fall over, thrashing her bleached blonde hair all over the place and dancing much like Thora Birch in the opening scene of Ghost World (maybe one person will know what I'm talking about here). Anyhow, the crowd didn't seem to feel them too much, me and two other girls I could see were really the only ones dancing, everyone else, including my less than pleased boyfriend, weren't too impressed. They're fairly young, with a garage, raw punk sound that they smooth out for some songs such as "Adventure." They're up and coming and fairly amateur which was obvious when drummer Jamin's kick pedal fell off several times during the set, while Jemina would try to cover with surprisingly ditzy-sounding jabber. Although I feel I'm being a little harsh about them, I really do love BYOP; I'm not sure if it's their fun punk vibe that reminds me of being 14, or their ridiculously easy to dance to and yell along with lyrics (see: "I'm an independent mother fucker!" off "Bunk Trunk Skunk"). Anyway, they finished their set with Jemina announcing "it was a dangerous song, so be careful," then her screaming for about a minute and half, dropping the mike and walking off stage.

Next up was Mates of State, a husband-wife duo, who integrate keyboard and drums together making the cutest (sickeningly cute, at times) tunes you've ever heard. They were very humble, Kori giggly like a school girl every time the fairly large crowd they'd pulled in would go crazy for them. They thanked us more times than I can count for coming out and would also continually remind us "they were Mates of State!" I always find it really great when bands remind you of their name in between every other song; it makes them seem so down-to-earth, which is always refreshing. They were playing a bigger stage so we were in the direct sun for their whole set, which made it drag on a little bit. They finished up with Jason coming out from the drum kit and serenading us with Kori's keyboard accompaniment, while he gripped the microphone with both hands and loomed over it. It reminded me of a nervous kid in grade 3 forced to sing the national anthem solo to a packed auditorium, his mannerisms were so shy and nervous.

After Mates we wandered over to see a bit of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, but didn't hang around too long since the boyfriend wanted to get a decent spot to see Metric. Ted Leo had sounded pretty great, and afterward we heard nothing but good things about their set. Getting to a decent spot for Metric, I wasn't expecting too much, having seen Emily fall over the stage drunk enough times back in Toronto. But they came out, and we were both very pleasantly surprised. They didn't play too much off the newest album Live it Out, which I was pleased with, not being too fond of it. They delivered hits like "Combat Baby," "Monster Hospital," "Dead Disco" (in a killer extended dance version) and "Poster of a Girl." The crowd loved them, everyone was dancing, and I noticed it was one of the friendlier crowds we'd encountered over the weekend. It was most definitely one of the better sets of the weekend, with Emily thanking the crowd just before the last song for "cheering for the underdog" which was a sweet sentiment, but far from the truth when you look at the packed tent of adoring faces they were playing to.

Pleased from seeing Metric but the dance fest the weekend had turned out to be was beginning to drag us down a bit, we headed over to Sleater-Kinney. They played the main stage just as the sun set, which was a lovely sight to see, but the girls seemed a little less energized then I had expected. I didn't blame them with the heat and all, but by watching their faces on the big screens and the way they played really screamed "We wanna get the hell out of here!" to me. I thought it was great to see them though, being a long time fan, they were probably one of the first bands I got into when my interest in punk rock and feminism begin to bloom.

Staying at the main stage we made our way closer for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to come out, which in the heat and tight crowd got a little unbearable so we made our way to the back. The set they played with essentially the same set I had seen a couple weeks earlier in Toronto, but I always love their performance. This was my boyfriend's first time seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs though, and it was nice to have someone to sway with during "Maps." After the YYY's fantastic set, we were beat. After getting some food, we ended up laying down in some shade and sleeping right through Massive Attack (whose set was almost too boring to be music sleep) but unfortunately also through a few bands I really wanted to see (The Go! Team, Mogwai and Coheed and Cambria). We also snoozed right through Madonna, who I would have liked to get a peek at just to be able to say "Oh yeah, I've seen Madonna!" Alas I later heard she played a four song set (after much technical difficulty delay) to approximately 30,000 people. Needless to say, I was glad I wasn't in that mess.

We woke up and shuffled forward through the masses to see Tool, who I've never really been a fan of, so didn't care to see at all. Their set was exactly what I expected from everything I've heard about Maynard's pretentious, asshole personality, but it was missing the really impressive performance aspect. I've heard about acrobats and crazy light shows, but we got big screens playing clips from their music videos. For me, it was more entertaining to watch ridiculous Tool fans, with them either doing crazy interpretive dancing or rocking out with their joints to "Sober." The one thing I was really blown away by was Maynard's voice, which sounded just like any recording of Tool I've ever heard. He didn't miss one note, which for a while convinced me maybe he was lip synching until I was informed apparently it was in a completely different key than the record was. Tool fans are fanatical, and it's this that has led me to determine Tool is our generation's Led Zepplin. So to me, this set was overly boring and got me quite ready for bed, until my boyfriend decided he'd had enough as well and we could skip off.

But during this Tool performance I'd been missing Art Brut, an amazing brit pop rock band that I had wanted to see really bad, but apparently Art Brut loses to Tool when it comes down to it. But I'm thinking maybe we'll be able to catch one last song, so we run over to their tent. To my surprise (very, very pleasant surprise) Art Brut had a number of songs to go, since they had their set pushed way back by yet again more difficulties and decided they weren't going to cut it short. From what I understand Coachella has tight rules about not performing past midnight, or else there are enormous fines, so bands must end at midnight or else.

But Art Brut being the young, zealous Brits they are kept going in a very punk rock fashion. After flipping off the stage manager who was frantically trying to wave them off stage after telling them they had one more song at the max, singer Eddie Argos informed the crowd they had three more songs! They even stopped "Emily Kane" for Eddie to interject and tell the story of how Emily heard the song and called him, which made him realize that he was no longer in love with her! He was simply in love with the idea of being in love at the age of 15! (Yes, all these exclamation marks are necessary for me to convey the energy Art Brut delivered!) The banter in between songs and stage presence they had was enough to have us laughing so hard we were crying and dancing our exhausted legs so fast they gave out from under us. With Eddie finally giving in to the man and heading off stage, the rest of the band continued playing, getting to the point where they were just making noise. Drummer Mikey continued to triumphantly flip off the stage manager and would do a mini drum roll then point to the audience who would go nuts. This went on back and forth for another five minutes or so, until they finally packed it in as well. Art Brut, even with the few songs we saw them perform, definitely stole the entire fucking show. And I can't wait to go back next year.

Being from Toronto, the closest thing we get to a big music festival is 8-10 band lineups at Olympic Island or Molson Park in Barrie, with poor organization and $4 dollar water. I had no idea what to expect traveling out to the desert to see a show that spanned over two days with over 90 bands. After long flights and delays and getting luggage lost, we entered the "golf capital of America" to be greeted by gorgeous weather, mountains surrounding us and palm trees at their feet. We rented a boat of a car, fought with American Airlines over my luggage, and headed off to the Empire Polo Grounds, which would serve as our campground home for the next couple days. Rather burnt out from the heat and exhaustion from being up all night driving and on planes and in airports, the sight of the camp ground and setting up our tent still made me ridiculously excited. Tons of friendly faces surrounded us; our camping area was with fellow Canadians and a British couple, all really great people.

The first night was essentially a huge party with 11,000 other music fans, but being exhausted, grumpy over my lost clothes and underage, I opted to pass out in the tent until morning. Second year Coachella-goers had warned us about the 6-7 am wake up that was inevitable with the heat and sun, which I had been skeptical about, but unfortunately, came true. Saturday morning just before 7 I was wide awake, but had slept much better than expected in a 7 x 9 tent (with my boyfriend and myself both being 6 feet tall). The rental car ended up being a must-have, as the morning bathroom and shower lines were endless and the heat was inescapable. A bunch of us headed into town to the not-so-welcoming locals for some insanely expensive breakfast, but air-conditioning and real washrooms made it well worth it. By the time we got back to the campsite it was just about time to pack up and head into the venue. I was brimming with curiosity about what the inside was like, as a thick line of palm trees separated the camp site from the stages.

We got in with little to no wait, a minor search, and none of the many water bottles we had purchased thinking we could make last the day. What I found most interesting about the whole thing was that everyone you seemed to meet was there for completely different reasons. I had assumed going into it that it would be nothing but rocker types, maybe some goth and indie kids. But a couple of the guys we spent most of the weekend with were heavy into underground hip hop and had come solely to see all the hip hop and DJ acts, most of which I'd never even heard of. Our British friends had come for mostly dance acts and DJ sets as well, and it seemed we were the unusual ones for just wanting to see Depeche Mode or Wolfmother.

From the influence of the aforementioned friends, the first act we checked out was Brother Ali, an albino rapper who was catchy, but we split quickly to go see The Section Quartet. They are a four-piece string band, that includes a cello, violin and a couple other fancy symphony like instruments I'm not sure the names of, and they cover mainstream rock songs. I was not only impressed by their talent and the precision they had covering the songs, but the fact they wore corsets in the nearly 100 degree weather. Playing hits from The Clash, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Radiohead, Queens of the Stone Age, Franz Ferdinand and many more, they had a great set. It became more of a game to name the song they were playing first, since sans lyrics, our tired little minds were having difficulties figuring it out.

We had a bit of a gap after this, used to check out the plethora of merch and food tents. We headed over early to get up close for Wolfmother; luckily they played a covered tent so we got out of the sun temporarily. Their set exploded with "Dimension" and their 70s hard rock vibe had the whole crowd moving. They didn't talk too much, but they sure as hell delivered, and not a note was missed vocally or musically. We skipped out of their set a tad early to go check out the Duke Spirit, who after having their equipment stolen and their guitarists arm recently broken, had cut their set short so we showed up for the last 20 seconds of their last song. Disappointed, but still with so much to look forward to we headed back to the tents for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. They had an enormous crowd, and we ended up listening from outside (which in a sense was better, more room for dancing!) and watching kids tear open the velcro of the tent sides to get in where the press was. Naturally, this was quickly put to a stop by the event staff, but was amusing at the moment. It was a good set, I mumbled along to all their songs where I can't exactly tell what he's saying but made sure to yell "My yellow country teeth!" every so often, when appropriate, of course.

Again, we skipped out of this set a tad early to head over to catch the end of Deerhoof and get a decent place to watch Imogen Heap. Deerhoof was their unusual, quirky selves, which the crowd really seemed to dig. I didn't think they would get a very positive response, but their noise rock off beat style seemed to get people moving. We got fairly close for Imogen Heap's set, who started off with a number of inevitable technical difficulties, which I was pleased to see she came out and dealt with herself. That was another aspect of the show I really enjoyed, most bands seemed to lose their rock star attitudes and were out on the stage doing their own sound checks and tuning their own instruments. Imogen Heap played well, I wasn't sure how she would go about it, but with all her keyboards and mixers and fancy machines she had that she introduced as "her family" everything sounded fantastic.

Once again, we skipped out of her set early (yes, we developed a very good dance-walk as most others did from running from set to set) to catch Ladytron. I've been a fan of Ladytron for years now, and they recently set a Toronto date, which I'm unable to attend since it's 19+. I was sorely disappointed about this, but thrilled to see I'd be able to catch them here. Unfortunately, about three songs into their set, a couple of guys decided to push me right out of their way so I nearly fell over, and plant themselves directly in front of me. After some words with them I decided it was best to get out of there, as Ladytron's stage presence was about as exciting as watching golf. They all got on stage, took their positions and did not stray one bit from them, which didn't make for much of a show. The sound was spectacular, but I expected a bit more excitement from such a fun electro-dance group. After the Ladytron experience, we headed off to Eagles of Death Metal, which definitely lightened the mood. With two drummers, one of which being Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and the other Samantha Maloney of Hole and Motley Crue fame, who drummed in synch throughout the show. This in itself was impressive, but the drumming could have been phenomenal having two drummers working together, alas it was still a good show. Front man Jesse Hughes was his amusing self, reminding the audience every couple of songs that he was "really nervous, and this was a huge fucking crowd, and he was so scared he was losing his voice" although they kept on rocking, and he would get a cheer for the ladies and for rock n roll every two minutes. The crowd seemed a little hesitant about getting into them, but after they got through the first bit of their set everyone was really moving. Surprisingly, Jesse really dominated the show, despite having other more famed members of the band that I expected to shine through much more. With their mixture of rock n roll and humour, their set was a great way to almost finish off the night, after which we headed over to Depeche Mode.

By this time the fact the sun had been sucking my energy supply dry all day was really starting to catch up with me. The crowd for Depeche Mode was overwhelming and had us back near the food tents, where I spent a good portion of the set sitting and getting kicked. I was terribly excited to see them, but wasn't exactly blown away by the performance. Okay, I wouldn't even really say I enjoyed the performance all that much, which was disappointing. They played a good portion of their newer material that no one really seemed to be into, the classics like "Personal Jesus," "Walking in my Shoes," and "Enjoy the Silence," which was really the highlight for me. Dave Gahan decided to strip down to his skin tight pants and show off his surprisingly fit self and prance around for a little while, but aside from this display, there was no real excitement to be had. This could be chalked up to my exhaustion, but everyone I spoke with afterwards about their set seemed sorely disappointed as well.

Although I was more than ready to call it quits after this dragging set, we decided to check out She Wants Revenge. I figured it would be a fun dance show, and a nice way to end the night. The boyfriend wasn't too pleased about extending our night even further, but we were both very pleasantly surprised with SWR. They didn't talk too much, wearing their black faux-army style get ups head to toe, they just pumped out the tracks off their debut record which was more than enough. The entire crowd was moving, the sexiness of their music getting everyone bumpin' and grindin' all over the place. The crowd wasn't too big since they were slotted in at the same time as Daft Punk, but they were very well received. The energy of their set was a fantastic way to end the first night, although the mood was ruined by attempting to get out of the grounds and back to the campsite, which was horrifically organized. Finally getting back to our tents we were sufficiently sleepy and I wasn't sure if I could do it all again, but little did I know the next day had much more in store for us! (More to come on Day 2!)

No matter how many sub-genres the elitists (and pigeon-holing critics) create, there's always going to be a band that needs one created just for themselves. The Dresden Dolls are definitely one of those bands.

Just about the best description I've heard for them thus far is "cabaret-punk," which at least hints at the unique piano and drum sound created by Amanda and Brian. Their latest album, Yes, Virginia, builds brilliantly on the style they've cut out for themselves. With a little more of a produced and polished feel on this album, they've made themselves more accessible but never any less compelling. Amanda's lyrics don't back down, she's confrontational, she's spilling her guts, she hates you but she wants you and especially wants you feeling her emotions just as vehemently as she does. Sometimes with a haunting feel (especially with the first track "Sex Changes" opening with piano very much resembling the film Halloween's theme) or a romantic one, this album explores every part of the spectrum. Amanda's powerhouse vocals have a spectacular range and seduce you like a sexy jazz singer lounging across a piano ("Mandy Goes to Med School") or make you want to hug the little broken down girl she portrays herself as on "Me and the Minibar." Mental health, sex, drugs, and rock have always been frequent themes for the Dresden Dolls, almost as though Amanda tries to piece together the events of her seemingly traumatic life through her music. Yes, Virginia evokes the band's first taste of fame, with the first single "Dirty Business" showing Amanda's reaction to the recognition she's slowly gaining - not surprising for a band breaking out of the underground and becoming the next big thing.

Amanda's sexual prowess never ceases to be a driving force behind the music, with lyrics like "I'm trying hard not to know the name of who is waking up beside me," she captivates listeners but never gives away too many details. This album perfects the Dresden Dolls' sound, and I expected nothing less.

After a handful of EPs and their debut LP, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have returned with Show Your Bones. The twang in Karen O's voice and Nick's guitar hasn't gone anywhere, but some of the band's in-your-face energy has. Where Fever to Tell, with its raunchy style, left you feeling like you'd just been eaten, chewed up and spit back out, Show Your Bones is much less driven. There are definitely some great, hard hitting tracks, like "Déjà Vu," "Mysteries," and "Fancy," which really epitomize the sound the band built their fame on, and where they're taking it.

A little bit of folk style, as well as more technical production and effects from producer Squeak E. Clean fused with their original dance-rock feel, creates a newly-matured and slightly more experimental Yeah Yeah Yeahs. On the lyrics side, Bones is more emotional than we've seen in the past, probably from the band dealing with newfound recognition, hard touring and growing pains in general. With more emotional, sometimes pained, lyrics come slower tempos and songs to sway to, with a more ballad-like feel, with cuts like "The Sweets," "Warrior," and "Turn Into."

Show Your Bones still makes for a solid, engaging record, but lacks the raw, powerful execution they're capable of, and makes me wonder if they've lost that touch of what really pulled us in in the first place.

Chan Marshall has taken on her stunning musical persona of Cat Power once again and delivered a fantastic new record, The Greatest.

Don't let the title confuse you; this isn't a greatest hits compilation, but her sixth full length release from Matador records. The Greatest was recorded in Memphis, which makes its presence known with the twanging guitar on "Islands" and the whistling refrain on "After It All."

With the first half focusing on her skill as a pianist and the guitar taking over on the
last half, this album features more of a backing band than her previous work. Help from Al Green's backup band and a few other musicians make The Greatest a little more upbeat and give it a more full-bodied sound. It was surprising to hear so much going on in a Cat Power song, reminding me of when I threw on Elliot Smith's Basement on a Hill and heard "Coast to Coast." A full band backing someone we're used to hearing alone, strumming away at their guitar, can be daunting, but Marshall reassures us nothing has changed. Her haunting songwriting and strong, velvety voice are still the forefront of her music, and none of her talent gets lost in the sound of the new musicians on board.

Although her style has progressed and we see a lot of new additions to the Cat Power mix, she hasn't swayed from what we know her best for. Lost love, missing your love, depression, death and (did I mention losing your love?) come up in her intelligent and honest songs, but the morbid accompaniment is gone. This makes for a slightly unusual mood, since there are horns and banjos and whistles that have you bopping your head to fairly melancholic vocals. The Greatest may be suffering a bit of genre-confusion, but it's still shows Marshall's experimentation with different styles and growth as an artist. Moving more toward the soulful, bluegrass style of music her voice sounds most suited to sing, she's proven she isn't going to make soundtracks to breakups and crying sessions forever.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Hometown: NYC
http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/
Monday, April 10, 2006
The Kool Haus (Toronto, Canada)
also: The Liars

It's always equally exciting and nerve wracking to see a band I would put in my top five, especially when their popularity has sky-rocketed since they were last in town and they're all over the radio. Surely nothing could compare to their bursting energy at the small intimate club I saw them at a couple years ago, with other fans who loved their single five song EP as much as I did? Yet even playing a bigger, sold-out venue, with a bigger fan base and a killer new album with a very different style, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's charmed me as much as ever.

Touring with longtime friends The Liars, who opened with a good set, Karen, Nick, Brian and the newly added Imaad hit the stage after a bit of a wait, and kicked off with the latest single, "Gold Lion."

They hadn't changed a bit. Karen O was prancing around the stage and doing her classic foot-shuffling-leg-bending-everywhere dance that I used to imitate in the mirror (OK, OK, and maybe still do). She dominated the stage and crowd, saying halfway through the show that she was "being pretty shy" but still radiating her I-don't-give-a-fuck attitude. From the schoolgirlish "doot, doot, doot" refrain in "Art Star" to the growling scream that comes out of her in "Miles Away," it was obvious her love of what she does hasn't faded. The rest of the band has always somewhat been in her shadow, but Nick still played his role well, with a great squealing solo on "Mysteries," while Brian played nonstop and hard. The set had more downtime than in the past, since the new album has a much folkier relaxed vibe, so there was more swaying than dancing. Still, it was a good progressive route for the band to take; they managed to change their style drastically but still sound edgy and full of emotion.

Hearing the songs and watching the band and crowd, seeing kids dance like no one was watching, reminded me of the energy that seems to have slowly leaked out of the Toronto scene. The band was as humble as ever, frequently reminding us between songs, "Thanks a lot, we're the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!" as if we didn't know. Karen O, known just as well for her outrageous costumes and style as her raging voice, came out for the encore dressed in what looked like a skeleton Halloween costume. After taking off the mask, she serenaded the crowd with the YYY's self-proclaimed love song, "Maps."

One thing this show proved for sure: Once a band breaks out of the "indie" scene and really starts getting the recognition they deserve, they can still stay true to their roots.