LOW at the Great Hall, Saturday, March 16. Rating: NNNN
On the rowdiest drinking weekend of the year, the atmosphere at the Great Hall was hushed and reverent. While brash, green-hatted revellers spilled out of nearby bars, Low kept the Queen West crowd mesmerized with lush, intimate “slow-core” tunes. It would’ve been easy for the Duluth trio’s sparse music to get lost in such a big room, but the audience kept the chatter in check.
Performing most of their recent Jeff Tweedy-produced 10th album, The Invisible Way, the band also drew from their rich back catalogue. Throughout their 20-year history, they’ve found ways to continually uncover new facets of their limited sonic arsenal while keeping the core pieces intact: Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker’s immaculate vocal harmonies and solemn, melodic songwriting.
Those elements grounded the show, which walked the line between sincerity and over-earnestness from both the band and the fans (“Like, it’s about the notes they don’t play, man”). Our attention was held for 90 minutes despite songs rarely accelerating beyond what could generously be called mid-tempo.
RICHARD TRAPUNSKI
ANDY STOTT at Blk Box Theatre, Saturday, March 16. Rating: NNNN
Andy Stott’s Luxury Problems was one of the best electronic albums of 2012, but it wasn’t exactly the type of record you put on to dance. Eight tracks of dark, atmospheric techno and looped vocals by the UK producer’s former piano teacher, Alison Skidmore, it’s best enjoyed on an expensive pair of headphones.
If there were any worries about how Stott’s claustrophobic, sometimes dissonant sounds would translate live, they were quickly dispelled. The set retained the intensity of Stott’s recordings while upping the BPMs slightly. Meanwhile, a video screen occasionally displayed his name by way of introduction.
Stott, who’s been making music for almost a decade under different guises, played mostly dub and techno, proving he refuses to bow to electronic music trends. Thanks to the Blk Box Theatre’s top-of-the-line sound system, the bass of Hatch The Plan and the hypnotic vocals of Numb hit hard and got bodies moving.
He kept heads nodding well past 2 am, making the crowded room feel more like a Manchester warehouse party than a Toronto basement.
MAX MERTENS
THE WOLF FOLKTALE at the Drake Hotel, Saturday, March 16. Rating: NNN
The folks behind The Wolf Folktale are nothing if not ambitious. Something between a play and a band, it tells the macabre story of a murderous small town through song and performance, and features a sprawling indie folk band made up of members of Invasions, Chico No Face, Native Smokes and other locals. Squeezing 13 people onto the Drake Hotel stage, they’re definitely not thinking small.
Previous performances have had full sets and costumed actors, but this scaled-down affair focused on the music. Unfortunately, the success of such a multi-pronged narrative concept depends on how all the elements work together, and loses a lot without the visuals. The video projections made it more confusing once you realized they were a short loop and not meant to sync up with the story.
This isn’t to say that the Wolf shouldn’t attempt music-only versions of the show. There are some strong songs, and the band has a pleasantly eclectic sound. But adding more visuals would make this version work better.
BENJAMIN BOLES
RIHANNA and A$AP ROCKY at the Air Canada Centre, Monday, March 18. Rating: NNNNN
Five months after playing a secret stripped-down club gig in Toronto, Rihanna brought pop machine excess to the city’s biggest venue for the first part of a two-night stand. New York fashion rapper A$AP Rocky, who released his debut studio album in January, opened. A Tumblr unknown two years ago, Rocky’s not a very good rapper, but he oozes style and in that sense was a brilliant choice. His new songs, particularly the Skrillex-produced Wild For The Night, hint at arena ambition, and the crowd’s reaction to his vigorous leering proved he’s got it.
When Rihanna snaked down centre stage in a gold-and-black oversized Givenchy parka to Phresh Out The Runway, it didn’t matter that she was an hour late. Her 90-minute set included six insane couture outfits, iconography-heavy visuals, subtle flair from an all-girl dance squad, lots of thigh and a pummelling of hits. Jump, the new Ginuwine-sampling dubstep song, was a highlight, as was the strobe-and-laser bit featuring her club tunes (We Found Love, Don’t Stop The Music, Where Have You Been).
This wasn’t pop cheese it was culture-mining, fashion-forward, bad-mannered, vintage-Madonna cool.
ANUPA MISTRY
