The Darcys @ Media Club -- 10/15/14

The Last couple times that Toronto band The Darcys were through town, it was in the opening slot for someone else. And both times, I felt the set was criminally short. So lucky for everyone, they hit the Media Club as they came back around on their most recent tour, on the rainy Wednesday night.


I only caught the end of the first band Hollow Twin, who seemed interesting, before the next band, The Lion The Bear The Fox, featuring Christopher Arruda (the lion) on keys and Cory Woodward (the bear) & Ryan McMahon (the fox) on guitars. All three of the musicians had solo careers, to various degrees of success, but joined together for something more than the sum of its parts. Arruda even admitted he was close to quitting music before joining up with the other two, in the introduction to a song that he wrote for his two friends & bandmates. Another highlight of the set was the final song, an incendiary stomper of a song, that transitioned a little into Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall".
Solo artists coming together can always have mixed results, but the three of them meshed so well that you would think they've been a band all their lives, their three voices intertwined for some great alt-folk harmonies.


And finally, it was time for The Darcys. They started off with the dark and moody "Close to Me", the first track from Warring, as they were celebrating the (just over) one year anniversary of the album's release.
Most of the set focused on the dense and atmospheric art-rock of the album, with songs like the more upbeat and driving "Pretty Girls" and "Itchy Blood", with its slow-simmering intensity. Singer Jason Couse has a great stage presence to him, with a voice that ranges from haunting whispers to soaring heights, and even up into the falsetto.
They reached beyond the album a few times, for some older ones like "Don't Bleed Me" from their self-titled, as well as a couple new ones; near the end of the set they prefaced a song with the fact that they were going to rock & roll now, before playing a new song called "LA Jesus", a huge rocker that I immediately wished I could play on repeat (the only thing I had in my "show notes" for that song was "fucking killer")
The set came to an end, appropriately enough, with the final song off Warring, "Lost Dogfights", seeing Couse coming up to the very front of the stage and just pour his soul through the microphone, before the band brought the song to a swirling ending. But as they went to leave the stage for the faux-encore, they realised there wasn't really anywhere to go in the Media Club, so just stayed there and proclaimed it was now the encore. Jason teased a cover, saying it was only the third time they played the song live, before getting everyone remaining to put on their red shoes and dance the blues with David Bowie's "Let's Dance".


I can't remember the last time The Media Club sounded so good, and this is going to be a show to remember, especially as The Darcys inevitably move to bigger and bigger venues.

Arts & Crafts Road Trip w/ Reuben & The Dark, The Darcys, and NO @ Biltmore -- 04/05/14

Toronto independent music company Arts & Crafts has had a long history of fostering collaboration and community among their bands, and the latest effort is a tour that includes Toronto's The Darcys, LA's NO, and Calgary's Reuben & The Dark. The three bands rotated slots throughout the tour, headlining in their own regions, giving a chance for the bands, each with new or upcoming albums, to shine.

Starting the night off was NO. The six-piece had recently released their first full length album El Prado and was in Vancouver for the very first time. Bradley Hanan Carter's deep baritone vocals backed by soaring guitars are sure to draw many comparisons to The National, but they were not quite as... depressing.
Carter also had a compelling stage presence, using the space on the stage, and even coming down into the crowd a couple times, singing directly to individual members or still brandishing his whiskey glass.
I also really liked the way the set was structured. They started off with a slower paced, almost shoegazey tune, and the songs gradually increased in tempo and intensity (and volume), before winding back down a little for the ending. The highlight was the single from the album, "Leave The Door Wide Open", and I would be interested to see them again next time they're through town.

The second band up was the one I was most excited to see, The Darcys. They played exclusively from their recent Juno nominated album Warring, with moody backlighting matching their sound. Starting off with "Hunting", the song immediately showcased the band's atmospheric dense rock, as well as lead singer Jason Couse's powerful voice, which ranged from anguished whispers to soaring heights, and even up to the falsettos.
Members frequently switching from guitar to keys, creating a layered soundscape for the bubbling intensity of "Itchy Blood", and the fast paced, driving "Pretty Girls", and they brought the set to a close with the slower, almost haunting, final track from the album, "Lost Dogfights".
Both times I've seen The Darcys has been as a supporting act, with sets that felt far too short, so hopefully they're back soon enough headlining their own shows.

And finally, wrapping things up was Reuben & The Dark -- an apt name for the band, as their folk sound was darker than most. Imagine if the copycat folk band de jour actually played interesting music.
Tight harmonies and atmospheric guitars (and a drummer who was standing the entire set) drove songs like "Rolling Stone", and despite their sleepy stage presence, the crowd was definitely into it.
The last few songs built in intensity before they ended with a few members grabbing floor toms and a powerful percussion breakdown, lights going crazy for dynamic ending to the set. There were even chants for an encore, but the band had to come back out and sheepishly indicate they could not play any more, due to the Biltmore's club night starting (the DJ had already started spinning the moment their set ended).

While label-based tours aren't anything new, it was still a cool concept to show off some of the newer Arts & Crafts talent, and I hope there are more tours like this in the future. Though I do wish there was a little more on-stage collaboration with the bands -- perhaps one last song where all three bands jam together, or a cover.

The Belle Game & Bear Mountain @ Vogue -- 11/09/13

It was a homecoming celebration as a couple of Vancouver bands wrapped up their tour by co-headlining a sold out Vogue Theatre. Both Bear Mountain and The Belle Game have been picking up momentum as of late; Bear Mountain getting some choice touring partners and festival gigs, and The Belle Game just finishing a residency at the the Banff Centre for the Arts, where they got to spend time with Broken Social Scenesters Kevin Drew & Charles Spearing.
While they may seem like an odd pairing to tour together, their different styles and genres managed to compliment each other, rather than clash.

I got to the Vogue in time to catch the last couple songs from Dralms. The band is the new/renamed project of Christopher Smith, with all of the same band members. While the songs were still dark and moody, they were quite a bit heavier and more reliant on distortion than when he was performing under his own name.

Second up was The Darcys from Toronto, who I had been wanting to see live for a while now. Their moody, dense rock, combined with the tight performance drew me in right away.
Their all-too-short set included some from the new album, the driving "Pretty Girls", the twitchiness of the appropriately titled "Itchy Blood", and the rocking "747s" which showed off lead singer Jason Couse's strong, soaring voice.
A very impressive set, and I am looking forward to the next time they come through town.

Then it was time for the dance floor to fill up as Bear Mountain took the stage, and they immediately got people moving with their electro-dancey-pop. While the four piece does use samples, they play a lot of the songs live; Ian Bevis on bass, synth, and vocals, with his brother Greg on drums, Kyle Statham on guitar, and Kenji Rodriguez on visuals. Which sounds strange, but the visual aspect was treated as important as the music. With a geometrical shaped projection screen behind them, and large triangles of lights, the visuals added a unique layer to their performance.
As for the music itself, there was a great flow to the set, each song transitioning into the next with barely a change for the packed dance floor to catch their breath. Confetti cannons burst, people were crowdsurfing and up on shoulders for highlights like "Two Step" and "Faded", and a fun cover of Tears for Fears' classic "Everybody Wants To Rule The World".
And as much fun as the crowd was having, it was apparent that the band was having more fun; a couple times Kyle leaped off the stage to crowdsurf, and Ian was noticeably moved by the reception from the hometown crowd. They were even called back for an encore, which they obliged.
Admittedly, I am not always a fan of electro-dance type stuff, but Bear Mountain is an exception. Their live show is something to behold, packed with high energy, fun, and infectious songs.

That right there would have been a worthwhile show, but there was still The Belle Game. They kicked off their set with one of the title tracks from their debut album Ritual Tradidtion Habit, "Tradition" as the tone completely shifted with their dark pop and dense sound filling the room. Guitars and synth swirling, and Andrea's powerful voice giving chills, especially in "Little Wars" but especially in "River".
Other highlights included the soaring "Blame Fiction", the sexy slow jam "Bruises To Ash", and a new song written during their residency in Banff, with Ian Bevis coming out to help on vocals. I didn't catch its name, but it was quite possibly the best of the set; still very much a "Belle Game" song -- rich and layered -- but showed huge leaps in their songwriting.
They wrapped up the set with the hugely upbeat "Wait Up For You", with more Bear Mountaineers joining them, first Greg out on the floor tom, then the rest of the band with shakers and backup vocals to wrap it up for a grand ending. But of course, they were back for the encore, a pretty amazing cover of  Nirvana's "All Apologies" wrapping up the night by getting a bit of a sing along going to bring everyone together.
I've been saying for months now that The Vogue would be a great venue for the band -- and while they had played there before, opening for We Are The City and at Petchakutcha -- the headlining spot proved that the theatre venue was a perfect fit for their sound.

setlist
Tradition, Wasted Light, Blame Fiction, Little Wars (Causing You Trouble), Keeps Me Up At Night, Bruises To Ash, Ritual, [new song], River, Wait Up For You. 
(encore) All Apologies [Nirvana cover]