THE DARCYS at Adelaide Music Hall (250 Adelaide West), Friday (October 11), doors 8 pm. $20. NT, SB, SS.
Bieber has Beliebers, Gaga has Little Monsters, but what about the Darcys?
Lead vocalist and guitarist Jason Couse and drummer Wes Marskell drink espresso in their neighbourhood haunt, Northwood, on Bloor West, debating the merits of possible handles.
“Should we jump on the ‘Lil’ train?” wonders Couse.
“I’ll ask Twitter,” says Marskell. “The fans can name themselves.”
A couple of followers suggest “the Bennets” (a nod to the band’s Pride And Prejudice moniker). An hour passes and labelmate Dan Mangan tweets back, “The ‘Arse-ies?'” (as in Arsey Darcy, the nickname of the Bridget Jones version of Mr. Darcy).
The band responds: “Nailed it.”
When the Darcys signed to Arts & Crafts in 2011, they joined a much-loved Toronto musical family. This induction could have intimidated some, considering most of the bands have known each other for over a decade, but the Darcys fit in just fine with both the veterans and the new players.
Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene was instrumental in signing the band, and they’ve played plenty of shows with next-gen Gold & Youth and Zeus.
Drew even provided feedback on their latest album, Warring – the beautiful post-rock album (named after a passage in Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian) that finds the band experimenting with piano ballads and dance tropes while also sticking with their signature heavy textures.
The group’s currently working on a 20-minute instrumental track they hope to release for next year’s Record Store Day.
“Every time I see Kevin,” Marskell says, “he’s like, ‘Send me a mix.’ He’s been really insightful.”
Couse and Marskell recall the good vibes at Field Trip, the one-day festival this summer that celebrated Arts & Crafts 10th anniversary.
“I watched Hayden play and remembered being in high school and how amazing those records were. Then he came backstage and we shared a beer,” says Marskell.
Adds Couse, “At first I thought the family thing was a bit of a hoax, but it’s in full effect.”
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