Despite being on Toronto Island and in line before doors were set to open most of the patrons did not make it in before the bands began, with us being no exception. The Beauties and Flash Lightnin’ had come and gone.
Zeus was wrapping up their last couple tunes as the sun broke out to match our exuberance of finally making it into the venue. The huge and still relatively empty space didn’t allow Zeus to crank up the energy as they are capable of, but the sound did come across clearly, especially during the guitar solos. They did their go-to Genesis cover That’s All but overall didn’t leave much of a distinct impression.
Timber Timbre’s music seems more appropriately suited for a darkened basement club and was therefore out of context on this now-sunny afternoon in the glorious nature of Toronto Island. Taylor Kirk – the mastermind behind it all – even commented on how he was about to play an awful song on a nice day before picking his guitar and keeping slow, distinct time with a simple kick drum. He was accompanied by a lap steel which was being bowed, and deeper in the set the sound was filled out by a female violinist, a clarinet and a subdued sax. He cut the speed of Until the Night is Over in half during its live rendition. The set didn’t particularly fit the vibe and didn’t much improve my previous opinion of his music being a slight yawn played live.
Beach House are receiving a lot of love lately and the music does seem suited for lazy days in the sun, even at a beach house. However the live performance was not all that entertaining for someone with only a cursory knowledge of their music, and from what I heard even fans weren’t particularly blown away. The duo played their guitar and synths, backed by a drummer, and the music swirled lazily while the female did a take on headbanging that didn’t sync up all too well. Repetitive vocals didn’t do anything to increase interest and eventually the set passed us by.
By the time Band of Horses hit the stage I was ready for something to impress me, and this set was the prescription the doctor had ordered. For some reason I find it funny that middle-aged dudes are often behind some of the most adored hipster music of the day, and from Band of Horses made this thought resurface. Regardless of their appearance they are a group of five hard-hitting great musicians. Often combining three guitars simultaneously, both electric and acoustic, they remade their already stellar album cuts in impressive fashion live, featuring tracks from all of their full lengths. Their technical playing was pretty darn great, and that unique voice coupled so well. Infinite Arms has taken longer to gain traction in my playlist but the performance of the new material improved its chances (though unfortunately Northwest Apartment wasn’t included). What was included, saving the best for last, was The Funeral which the crowd clapped out with great appreciation for a fantastic performance.
Pavement were before my time. I missed them in their prime, and despite all the good I'd heard and checking them out via their recently released Quarantine the Past 'Best Of' I couldn't get into them. After the exuberance of BSS I couldn't be much bothered with them here either. The five-piece, (including two drumsets) did open with Cut Your Hair which is the one song that I had dug. I couldn't get into the set though, even with Kevin Drew and the Band of Horses lead singer joining them onstage early in the set for a collab. After a beer Pavement played the soundtrack to our walk to the inevitably long ferry line back to the city.For the main event of this day, curators and co-headliners, Broken Social Scene check this review that was actually published soon afterward.
