YOUNG GALAXY at the Mod Club, Wednesday, February 17. Rating: NNN
Bad chest cold and all, Young Galaxy is magical.
During the Montreal band’s Toronto tour stop, singer Catherine McCandless was suffering from acute bronchitis – the same ailment she had when Young Galaxy recorded 2015’s Falsework album, prompting her to joke that she wanted the show to be really authentic.
As she spoke into the microphone her voice sounded hoarse and strained. It was painful to hear, but when the shoegaze-turned-electronica group opened with Falsework cut Wear Out The Ground, McCandless’s voice cooed over the dense synth riffs and live drumming. Never missing a dance move, she performed detailed choreography alongside two back-up singers/dancers as an intricate light show glowed in the background.
Throughout the hour-long set, McCandless’s fierce vocals gradually faded into the reverberating bass, wet-sounding synth lines and futuristic sound effects that provided a backbone for the band’s dancey tracks.
When her voice started to crack, she debated cutting the show short, but huge cheers from the packed audience convinced her to stay. Then, at the band’s urging, the audience sang along, carrying the choruses of New Summer and Pretty Boy, both from 2013’s Ultramarine. Although not as dazzling as a typical Young Galaxy show, McCandless proved she is a captivating frontwoman – voice or no voice.
music@nowtoronto.com | @SamEdwardsTO
