ALWAYS at Velvet Underground, Thursday, June 14. Rating: NNNN
“We never play shows in Toronto,” said Always front-woman Molly Rankin between closely-paced songs in a set that may have been the Charlottetown/Cape Breton quintet’s debut Toronto performance under the new name.
Kicking off with Bombshell off her 2010 EP and moving through songs about frustrated love and astronauts, Rankin’s contained demeanor played off against the band’s bop and hand-clap danceability.
Rankin has definitely gone electric, and speaker distortion made the group sound more garage than they really are. She seemed a bit relieved when the set was almost over, loosening up and offering the supportive crowd a radiant smile.
