Jamie T at the Virgin Festival - more photos... photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
by andrea gilders, club kingsnake contributor
The Virgin Festival
Toronto Islands September 9, 2007
Day two of the 2007 Virgin Fest on the Toronto Islands boasted an impressive lineup. Even after the last minute losses of Amy Winehouse and Peter Bjorn and John.
The main stage still boasted local boys done well
Tokyo Police Club, London's
Jamie T (and the uncredited Pacemakers), and
The Killers (who made the whole thing worth while) among others
Virgin couldn't have treated the media and sponsors better, from our own dedicated ferry (separate from the normal concert goers) to the special media area. Situated right next to the beer garden the media area boasted a tent complete with wifi, comfy sofas, snacks, drinks and a small collection of white faux fur folding chairs. I enjoyed parts of the show from various comfy vantage points and finished out my coverage day with a delicious catered meal complete with angus beef or vegan options. (I chose both)
Fabulous. Really.
And the music itself, the reason we were all there, was incredible to hear and even more interesting to watch. It was a day of fascinating stage presences.
Jamie T, a youthful looking white boy from South London who boasted look that somehow crossed Shane MacGowan of the Pogues and the Food Channel's Jamie Oliver. The music seemed to have influences ranging from Dylan to Madness with a heavy dose of the Kinks thrown in for good measure. Imagine modern rockabilly with some lyrically solid choruses chanted in great loud angry British unison and you'll be getting a sense of what we heard. The band, known as the Pacemakers (causing me wonder if there was some reason for the call back the 60's British Band Gerry and the Pacemakers) were solid. New album was released in the USA and Canada on Aug 28th 2007, completely worth checking out.
Tokyo Police Club at the Virgin Festival - more photos... photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
Next on the main stage was Toyko Police Club. TPC in a nutshell, Newmarket boys make good on EP in 2005 and leave those of us who are fans not just clamouring but hungering for more.
Somehow a band whose schtick must be tied up in their AV Club presences on stage manage to take the material I've played to death on my ipod (while awaitng the new release that is coming this fall - no really it is) sound new again.
From the first crackling shrieks of Cheer it On - 'Operator get me the president of the World, this in a emergency' through the frenetic tambourine playing of the keyboard player, every minute of this performance was pure joy.
Our photographer nearly broke his neck running into the photo pit (which was opened at the moment the above shrieks were uttered ) in order to get some good shots. We were pretty happy with the outcome,
as you can see.
The Killers setting up at the Virgin Festival photo by clint gilders - staff photographer |
Then started the disappointments of the day... The Killers, in their infinite wisdom decided that there would be no video or photos taken of their show. Disappointing to say the least for our photographer but less so for yours truly who had been hoping to see them live for literally years..... I know Hot Fuss note for note and while Sam's Town was an incredible departure from their first round release, I still know it well and like it. I was prepared for the show, wanted to love it as I have loved this music. The stage was cool, a Sam's Town banner as backdrop, large groups of flowers and white Christmas lights draping Mr. Flowers' keyboard and the bass amp. Enter Brendan Flowers in a sparkling White three piece suit. I was stuck by the similarity between his attire and the outfit I saw Scott Weiland at the Velvet Revolver Show at Toronto's Kool Haus back in May. Sort of southwestern gothic yet glam matador. Somehow its a look that worked at both shows. YUM.
As much as I love the Killers, I was disappointed by the show when it came to live portrayal of old favourites, especially Somebody told Me. The tempo of the chorus was simply off. It was not as fast as it was as recorded and, for a fan like me, I found that disheartening. It made me wonder if that was the reason for their departure from the keyboard based rock that they made on Hot Fuss. I always found their music heavily reminiscent of mid 80s post New Wave greats like Duran Duran (yes, I called them Greats, mock me as you will) and New Order. But when I saw Duran Duran live two years ago, they were able to keep up with the ultra speedy tempos of their own recordings. For me, while I still love the Killers, I found the live show somewhat disappointing. I also got the sense that for a band whose second had so significantly stepped away from the recording style of their first album, how much did they actually WANT to be performing those Hot Fuss songs?
Honestly though, they were tight, there wasn't a bad note the whole performance but there was simply not the tempo I was expecting and that let me down in a big big way.
Overall the day was really worthwhile, great music, great food (and free, did I mention free to the media), comfy places to sit (did I mention the faux fur chairs, free to the media?) and lots of interesting faces to watch. Believe me regardless of anyone's tempo, I'll definitely be back next year if I get the chance.