I've been to a fair share of shows this year but Jens Lekman seems to have topped every other act I've seen this year. He's done it through a combination of irresistable charm, spontaneity, and simplicity. There was a good lineup of openers leading into Jens' headlining set. I sauntered into The Music Gallery about half way through first opener Steve Shiffman & The Land Of No's set. The trio of gentlement performed an admirable set of tuneful indie rock that while instrumentally wasn't too adventurous still held its ground with solid melodies and off-kilter vocals. For the most part, I think I've outgrown that sort of lo-fi aesthetic indie rock but it does make me partially nostalgic for the glory days of the 1990's indie rock scene.Next up on the bill were The Phonemes. Usually a trio, their lineup featured another gentleman who played a variety of instruments, with his playing of a saw using a violin bow which stood out the most. I believe this gentleman also played with The Fembots when I saw them last summer at Harbourfront.(Anyone know his name?) Lead vocalist Magali Meagher mentioned that her 'husband' was away on tour, which prompted fellow Phonemes member Liz Forsberg who mentioned that that was the first time she heard Magali say 'husband'. I'm guessing it's a recent marriage. During their next song, Magali jokingly whispered the word 'husband' during some quieter song passages to the delight of the crowd. Upon further web surfing, I found out that she is married to Bob Wiseman. I really enjoyed harmonizing vocals of Liz and Magali. In general their arty folk pop music had interesting, if sometimes excellent melodies and instrumentally was very creative, including the aforementioned musical saw and the use of typewriter as a percussive instrument on one song. In particular, I really enjoyed when the drummer and the gentleman who played the saw, performed the glockenspiels during one song at the end of the set. The Phonemes turned up the tempo for one song which had a Decemberists-esque jaunty feel to it. Overall, they're one of the better local bands I've discovered over the last little while. Too bad their 4-song debut EP(released through Blocks Recording Club) was sold out by the end of the show.
If ever I could call an artist's live performance perfect, Jens Lekman came awfully close. Any fawning that you might perceive over this next paragraph, well, is justified. Given the intimate surroundings of The Music Gallery, one couldn't have asked for a more perfect venue. In addition to a warm sound that the acoustics of The Music Gallery provided, the environment itself with it's nice wooden floors, pews and chairs made for the BEST sit-down concert ever. When the lights dimmed, I heard Mr. Lekman on ukelele singing the opening strains of "Julia" and then suddenly realized that he was at the back of the church. As he strolled down the aisle towards the front, serenading the crowd, I couldn't help think how perfect an entrance that was. His special guests for the evening were Paul, Maggie and Joel from The Hidden Cameras and Jens' songs during the night featured a number of different lineup configurations. I particularly enjoyed when Joel took drum duties with Paul on standup bass and Maggie on back-up vocals for a rousing rendition of "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill". The stripped down version of "You Are The Light" with Paul on standup bass and Joel on background vocals was also delightful. Preceding his performance of "Do You Remember The Riots?", Jens entertained the audience with a poignant and slightly humourous story of how George Bush Jr. was the cause of him and his girlfriend breaking up(you had to be there).
Around midset, a special treat was granted to the audience in the form of a slide show presentation(created by Shary Boyle) during which Jens and company performed a selection of tunes. The screen was set up right in front of the stage, and although Jens performed at least one tune solo standing just to the right of the screen, the rest of the tunes during the slide show were performed with him and company onstage behind the screen. From my vantage point I could still see Jens at his mic, seemingly inwardly focused on his singing and nothing else and that was all the more gratifying to watch since most people couldn't see him. When they performed "Black Cab" with Jens singing that heavenly melody and Maggie pounding that Phil Spector-ish drum beat, it was pure ecstasy.
I think I could have heard Jens perform all night. At one point in his set, Jens performed a song solo which he sang in what sounded like Japanese. I believe he said it was a cover song. Towards the end of the set, with the lights fairly dim, Jens strolled over to the church organ at the right side of the church(coincidentally, near where I was sitting on the floor) and if somewhat appropriately, performed a lovely, serene version of "Tram # 7 To Heaven". That was suppose to be his last song, but then almost immediately he decided to perform one more song which turned out to be "Maple Leaves". As he put it, he probably performed the song hundreds of times in the past, so to change things up, he sung it in Swedish! The crowd was very appreciative and encouraged Jens to come back for an encore. What better note to end the evening than to hear Jens on piano and Paul on standup bass with their vibrant take on "The Opposite of Hallelujah". I'm so glad that the show featured a band setup because, even if a solo performance would have been delightful in itself, the band setup was so much more lively. At the end of the show, Jens mentioned that he would be in the courtyard to perform face-to-face with the crowd. Actually, I didn't think he was serious and I anticipated that he might just mingle with the crowd and maybe strum his guitar and sing a few bars here and there. So I left pretty soon after the show ended, but not before purchasing his "The Opposite of Hallelujah" EP. Disappointedly, I found out later that he DID perform a couple more songs solo in the courtyard. While that could have been the icing on the cake had I stuck around, the main show itself(plus the encore) was so good that I'm not too disappointed for missing this bonus mini-set. I can't say much more than, Jens, please come back soon.
Related links
- my photos from the show.
- suckingalemon has a review and photos from the show.
- Erin Stotle has some comments and photos from the show.
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cleverLazy has a podcast for download featuring an interview with Jens Lekman, or as she calls him, "the 11th sexiest man in Sweden."
Elva has some comments and a couple of photos of Jens Lekman's set in Guelph ON @ Club Vinyl from the previous night(November 4th).
And finally, not Jens-related: Metric's Emily Haines and James Shaw offer Toronto Star readers a peak into their personal thoughts about their life on the road.
(Sorry for the late post; got free tickets to tonight's Raptors game against Cleveland and went with my friend, nephew and his friend's. Raptors lost. Better luck next time.)
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