RLMDL, Sexy Merlin, Valerie Dour and Body Butter at the Theatre Centre, Thursday, August 7. Rating: NNN
Over the last few years, the musical component of the annual SummerWorks theatre festival has become an integral element, consistently boasting a strong lineup of cutting-edge local acts. This season the entire concert series has been curated by Toronto music blog and concert promoters Silent Shout, and the opening night party was particularly representative of the quirky synth pop they often focus on.
Campy new-wave soul duo Body Butter kicked off the night with a lot of energy, and vocalist Neil Rankin’s pink silk bathrobe was easily the best stagewear of the night. In comparison, the hazy shoegazer references of both Valerie Dour and RLMDL felt especially sleepy, although they did manage to get a few members of the audience dancing. Too bad that it wasn’t until the final act Sexy Merlin came on that someone thought to turn the bright lights down a bit to make it feel more like a club show, which definitely suited his live experimental house jams better.