SHE & HIM, JOEL PLASKETT EMERGENCY, CAMERA OBSCURA and THE BARR BROTHERS at Fort York Garrison Common, Thursday, July 4. Rating: NNNN
Thanks to good planning and weather kismet, day one of the inaugural Toronto Urban Roots Festival went off really, really well: crowds were greeted with ample bike parking, a free full-service water-bottle refill bar, shady and sunny areas to hang in, and comfy blankets to sit on in VIP areas.
The Barr Brothers, from Montreal, took the roots part of the fest’s name seriously, moving through various genres – gathering at one point around a ribbon mic and getting really folky, while channelling the VU on Kisses From Chelsea and putting a new spin on the term “blues harp” via a new song that marries the sounds of slide guitar and concert harp.
Camera Obscura impressed with clever songs, fun delivery and cute Scottish accents. More cuteness: lead singer, Tracyanne Campbell, was visibly pregnant under her electric guitar. They played Do It Again off the new record Desire Lines and also older tunes like Teenager and Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken.
Haligonian Can-rocker Joel Plaskett’s dusk set with his band the Emergency proved him one of the most likeable characters in Canadian music: his red shirt, hand gestures, guitar solos and friendly anecdotes charmed the audience, who sang along to Work Out Fine.
Headliners She & Him delivered the day’s least impressive set (though cries of “We love you Zooey!” confirmed that Deschanel, who can be awkwardly endearing on stage, has a large contingent of Toronto fans). The sound, which had been otherwise great all evening, didn’t seem to work for the sprawling band, which included two hippyish blond backup singers. Still, the group’s nostalgic 50s/60s soul vibe got people slow dancing on the grass, and the lamps, stars, and light swirls onstage made for a pretty close to the night.
Joel Plaskett Emergency – Live At T.U.R.F. from NOW Magazine on Vimeo. Shot by Adrian Vieni and Graeme Phillips. Edited by Graeme Phillips.
