Review -- The Magnetic Fields, Bachelorette @ Sound Academy, Toronto (March 30, 2012)

  Stephen Merritt @ Sound Academy: photo by Michael Ligon

Sorry for the lateness of this posting. I'll first point you towards The National Post, Sticky Magazine, and The Panic Manual who were also at the show.

Can I say I both enjoyed the show but was disappointed. The Magnetic Fields last played Toronto in February of 2010 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, a show I enjoyed very much. But before I get to this current performance, it was New Zealand artist Annabel Alpers who goes by the moniker Bachelorette opening up the show to maybe a half full venue. I'd arrive with her already a bit into her set. At first I didn't think much of it, but soon I started to enjoy her brand of electro-pop which seamed to be a seamless mix between the icy-cool synth-pop of Ladytron with the Krautrock / drone influence of bands like Stereolab and Broadcast, Alpers vocals in the same deadpan vein as Broadcast's late Trish Keenan or Ladytron vocalist Helen Marnie. With computer generated images projected behind it was fitting visuals for Miss Alpers mathematically-precise tunes.

But back to The Magnetic Fields. It was bound to be a letdown, the band this time around playing the dreaded Sound Academy, a venue that required it's audience to stand [unless I guess if you were in the second level VIP section] and whose acoustics were no where close to the acoustics at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The occasion of their trip to the city this time around was the recent release of their new album entitled Love at the Bottom of the Sea with a bevy of great song titles like "Andrew in Drag", "The Horrible Party", and "I've Run Away to Join the Fairies" all included in the band's new-album heavy setlist. With the same / similar acoustic setup(piano, guitar, cello, ukelele, etc.) as their previous show in Toronto back in 2010, the band played delicately with lead vocal duties traded from song to song between Stephen plus members Claudia Gonson, and Shirley Simms, with Merritt singing most of what most might consider his 'depressing' songs while, Gonson seemed to have the more humourous ones [eg. "Quick"] and Simms adding a bit of twangy timbre to songs like the wonderful "Plant White Roses". On comparison to their previous Toronto show in 2010 there was less banter between songs, which in my opinion detracted from the overall enjoyment of the show. As Merritt cheekily exclaimed at one point between songs in his deadpan baritone "Here's another depressing song". It was purely sarcastic remark but on the other hand, without the banter to break up the pacing of the set, I couldn't help but feel the dreariness rear its head. If not for the pristine pop melodies, the whole set would just be a total downer. But then that dichotomous nature of The Magnetic Fields, who on a basic level, whose music can be described as depressing love songs and sunny pop melodies, is precisly what appeals to its audience. Nowadays, I feel the The Magnetic Fields have broadened their audience further than they have before, but in the past I'd say without a doubt that their audience consisted primarily of indiepop aficionados, music geeks, and other assorted misfits. To this last point, The Magnetic Fields is and will remain one of music history's greatest outsider bands. So overall a great set musically, though the comforts and acoustics of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre as well as the greater amount of banter at that show, were sorely missed this time around.

Photos: The Magnetic Fields, Bachelorette @ Sound Academy, Toronto (March 30, 2012)
MySpace: Bachelorette
MySpace: The Magnetic Fields

Portishead @ Sound Academy, Toronto (October 10, 2011)

Beth Gibbons of Portishead @ Sound Academy: photo by Michael Ligon

There are bands I wish to see live who I have accepted will probably never reunite (The Smiths, New Order) and then there are the bands that I think I will never get to see live but then miraculously the band comes out of hiatus or retirement and goes on tour. Of the latter category, I've seen The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Pavement, and most recently, as well as more dear to my heart, Portishead. Along with fellow Bristolians Massive Attack, Portishead ignited the 'trip-hop' genre in 1990's propelling what was once an underground musical style towards the mainstream. Prior to their most recent full-length "Third" in 2008, they'd only released two albums, their seminal full-length debut "Dummy" in 1994 and their sinister self-titled follow-up in 1997. And for whatever reasons I'd not been motivated not check out the band live during the few times the band toured to promote their first two album, it was the band's 1998 live album / DVD "Pnyc Live" (a recording of the band's one-off show at NYC's Roseland Ballroom at which the band performed with an orchestra)which cemented my need to see this band live. At the time I could have not forseen the band going on hiatus from touring or recording a follow-up full-length until a decade later. When the band finally released their third album, entitled "Third", in 2008 I was ecstatic and was even more ecstatic that the band started to play live again, my hopes that the band would come back to Toronto. The band's first show in North America in 2008 was at the Coachella music festival and I remember being glued to my computer screen as I watched the live webcast of Portishead's phenomenal set. I'd never have guessed that it would have been more than three years later that Portishead would embark on a proper North American tour. Toronto made the cut fortunately, and even more fortunately the band booked two shows here for October 9 and 10. Too bad it had to be at the ghastly Sound Academy. But beggars can't be choosers, and as the dates grew closer, so did my excitement for the show. I was even more excited that within days of the show, I found out I got approved for a photo pass.

I was going to the second show of the two, which also was the same day as Thanksgiving here in Canada. After spending the day with family, I made my way down to the venue. It was just as well that I got there when I did because my arrival was only minutes before Portishead were to start. By the time I got my photo pass, then squeezed my way through the crowd to the front, then was let into the photo pit by Security, the stage lights dimmed and Portishead came on to the stage as I was still fumbling with my bag trying to get my camera and lenses out. Sweating profusely at this point, partly due to my excitement for the band and partly due to some nervous energy realizing I was almost late, I finally settled in for the three songs I'd be up there. When I wasn't snapping away, I stopped for a moment to realize I was mere feet away from the one and only Beth Gibbons!

Portishead's holy trinity of Geoff Barrows (drums, turntables), Beth Gibbons (vocals), and Adrian Utley (guitar) were joined onstage and for this tour by Jim Barr (bass), Clive Deamer(drums), and John Baggott (keyboards). The set kicked off with the rhythmically propulsive, pre-millenial tension of 'Silence', then one-eighty'd into the solemn quietness of 'Hunter' before working up the audience with the cinematic crowd-favourite 'Mysterons'. I felt fortunate to experience the band front-row centre for those three songs, to feel the immediacy of the band's different sensibilities. My three songs in the photo pit were over and I made my way back into the crowd when the band sunk into the desolate-sounding 'The Rip'(my personal favourite off "Third"), Beth Gibbons' voice trembling with every note. My view of the stage from stage left may have been less satisfying but with the remainder of the set just getting better and better, the visual element almost didn't matter.

The remainder of the main set had it's share of highlights. 'Wandering Star' was stripped down to a bare bones version with Beth and Geoff seated in the middle of the stage, Beth on vocals and Geoff on bass guitar. Audience sing-alongs could be heard on favourites like on 'Sour Times' and 'Glory Box'. It was on the latter that I realized how deeply connected I was to Beth's presence as even with such gender-specific lyrics like "Just give me a reason to love you, Give me a reason to be a woman, I just wanna be a woman", I felt like I was experiencing the female point-of-view without it being awkward. The descriptively titled 'Machine Gun' sliced it's propulsive rhythms through the air, Barrow's metallic drum sounds synched with the video projections behind them. The band's self-titled second album got the least representation during the show but thankfully included a few stunners, 'Over' featuring Barrow's exemplary turntablist skills and the sinister 'Cowboys'. I didn't realize it until they played it, but the band's Amnesty International charity single 'Chase The Tear' a song gussied up in electro-rhythms but grounded with simple drums and guitar, reminded me of Radiohead. By far the most eye-opening (or maybe that should be ear-opening) point of the night was the set-closer, the metal-ish 'Threads' on which three-quarters of the way through Gibbons' normally subdued vocals went through a transformation as the thrust and volume of her vocals achieved a level I was not entirely acquainted with. And it was exhilirating.

The encore, while only two songs, was near perfect with the Rhodes-accompanied 'Roads' which enthralled the crowd from its very first keyboard note and then with the urgent, industrial-sounding 'We Carry On' during which Gibbons, normally the introverted type, lept down to the floor to seemingly shake the hands and greet the entire front row of the crowd. Cameras and camera phones lept in to action before Gibbons jumped back onto the stage where she stood towards the right side of the stage sipping her beer as her band mates steamrolled to a conclusion.A concert on Thanksgiving could not get any better than this.

Photos: Portishead @ Sound Academy, Toronto (October 10, 2011)
MySpace: Portishead

The Specials @ Sound Academy, Toronto (August 28, 2010)

  Terry Hall of The Specials: photo by Michael Ligon

Update [Sept 9/2010, 12:37 am]: Didn't mean to take so long to post this review but also didn't want to not post anything either so here's some of my thoughts about The Specials and their show at Sound Academy a few Saturday nights ago. I hope my posting mojo will pick up from here on out, but more often than not I'm just pooped. I should eat more vegetables.

You know you're getting old when a band from one's youth has actually reunited present day. I've had the pleasure of seeing a number of reunited acts over the last several years, bands I thought I'd never get the pleasure of seeing, such as Pixies, My Bloody Valentine and most recently Pavement. And while Coventry ska act The Specials were never a defining band of my youth, I do have fond memories of admiring mod fashion in highschool in the late 80's, that drew me in to the Two-Tone ska movement of bands like The Specials, The English Beat, and Madness. I wasn't a mod in highschool by any stretch, and my musical tastes skewed more towards bands like The Smiths, The Cure, and New Order, but The Specials always had a special place in my heart. The band's mix of pop and politics was always potent but more importantly perhaps(especially to a wide-eyed teenager) the music could drive one into a dancy frenzy. Originally scheduled to have played in Toronto back in April but having had to cancel due to an 'unforeseen medical emergency ailment', the band soon remedied the situation eventually booking a two-night stint at Sound Academy over August 27 and 28. With the first show sold-out, I was fortunate to snag a media/photo pass for the second night. Recalling one of my Facebook friend's status updates about the first show and "40-year olds" dancing up a storm, I will attest that the second night had an equally frenzied audience. This was the band's 30th anniversary, and it had been 29 years since they'd last been in Toronto and the crowd was fully pumped as they would express themselves throughout the night, mostly as a sea of dancing people. Yes, dancing in Toronto.

Forgoing an opening act, the crowd was warmed up by DJ's spinning punk, reggae, ska and soul tunes for about an hour and a half and then to the strains of the band's Reprise version of "Enjoy Yourself", the band revealed themself in silhouette behind a white sheet that draped the stage. And then with the white sheet dropping all of a sudden, the band kicked in to the blistering "Do The Dog". Except for "Too Hot", they played the entirety of their debut self-titled album which very well may have satisfied everyone for the night if they'd stopped there but they also included a bunch of favourites from their sophomore LP "More Specials". Far from prolific when they existed, the original lineup was really over after the second album although a revised lineup of the band did continue on as The Special AKA to release another LP "In The Studio" which had some key tracks. A little unfortunate that the band didn't pull out anything from "In The Studio" but on the other hand we got classic non-album cuts like "Friday Night, Saturday Morning" during the main set and then during the encore, "Ghost Town" and the rarely performed "Guns of Navarone". The band were as tight knit and energetic as I could have hoped and while lead vocalist Terry Hall's expressionless face (and occasional smoking onstage) was a little off-putting, underneath you could tell he was genuinely enjoying the moment. He even mentioned that he would like to move to Toronto, in the process mentioning something about enjoying HGTV which drew a laugh from the crowd. It was nice to see that members Neville Staple and Lynval Golding haven't lost an ounce of their energy with Neville in continual dance mode while toasting and providing back-up vocals and Lynval on rhythm guitar and vocals. Most impressive might have been guitarist Roddy Radiation, the live set which really revealed how talented a guitarist he is, sweating up buckets to the point where later on in the set he had to go shirtless.

The main set ended with the band's cover of the appropriately-themed "Enjoy Yourself" (Terry singing "Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink, The years go by, as quickly as you wink") which revved up the crowd's spirits for more. Coming back for an encore, the band jumped in with the spooky mellowness, though nonetheless essential, "Ghost Town" and then graciously performed a rarity with "Guns of Navarone" and then ended the night off perfectly, although perhaps with a little teareyedness that it was over, with "You're Wondering Now". As the group repeatedly sung "You're wondering now, what to do, Now you know this is the end" with the audience joining in the singalong enthusiastically, you could have not wished for a more perfect moment.

The Toronto Sun and The Globe and Mail have reviews of the same show, while Eye Weekly and chartattack review the first night's show. Specials bassist Horace Panter share some memories about the shows.

Photos: The Specials @ Sound Academy, Toronto (August 28, 2010)
MySpace: The Specials
Video: The Specials - Intro / Do The Dog / New Era (Live @ Sound Academy - Toronto Aug 28/10) *

* courtesy of karbonbee

Spoon, Deerhunter, The Strange Boys @ Sound Academy, Toronto (March 29, 2010)

  Spoon @ Sound Academy: photo by Michael Ligon

Let's face it. I'm getting lazy with reviewing shows but so far, for the sake of this blog, I still feel compelled to write something. I apologize for my tardiness - it's been a week since Spoon's show at Sound Academy last Monday. Even if Sound Academy is far from my favourite venue (and well actually is my least favourite venue in Toronto) my general disdain for it has diminished slightly now that I'm attune to the bus route that travels in the general vicinity of the venue and the venue itself isn't as terrible as I'd remembered as long as you show up at a reasonable time to snag a decent spot to watch the show. With regards to the show itself, Spoon really delivered.

I'd arrived at the venur with Austin's The Strange Boys well into their brief set of garage-y, sometimes twang-inflected guitar rock. Formed in 2001 and releasing their debut EP, States Newest Noise Makers, in 2004 this was the first time I'd even heard their name, so I'd have guessed that they've dwelled in relative obscurity. There's an authenticity in their garage-y tunes although not particularly distinctive, and not particularly fashionable if you pay attention to such things. I do particularly recall a twang-inflected, slacker tune that hit a good stride although otherwise there's a dozen other similar bannds albums I'd no sooner reach for.

I'd only caught part of The Strange Boys' set due to trying to convince security to let me in with my SLR [as I didn't have a media pass, I promised to keep my camera in my bag but they wouldn't budge so I gave in and they held it for me in the security office. Hence, the iPhone photo above(using the Hipstamatic app) as well as including the photos through the link below].

While Spoon were the main reasons I'd bought a ticket for the show, it was second openers Atlanta's Deerhunter who were arguably the best band of the night. The youthful outfit led by the lanky Bradford Cox wearing dark sunglasses and what looked like a fishtail-style military green parker were a sonically exciting bunch at various times sounding like some of my all-time favourite bands. At various times they had the noisy guitar dissonance of Sonic Youth, the skewed-pop sensibilities of the Pixies and Jesus and Mary Chain, and the shoegaze-y guitar tendencies of My Bloody Valentine. But as much as they'd reminded me of these other bands, their sound was still fresh. Between songs, Mr. Cox spouted what seemed like stream-of-consciousness existential babble, all very entertaing in a sense, but it made me wonder if he was on something. With Spoon's Britt Daniel joining in on one song on guitar for an extended jam as well as a member of The Black Lips also jumping on stage at one point, it was an entertaining set.

There's no doubt Spoon's star has been steadily rising over the past 4-5 years. Their last show in Toronto was in October 2007 at Kool Haus (a show which had originally been scheduled for the Phoenix), and their show previous to that was in 2005 at the Phoenix. But such a historical progression still didn't make a show at Sound Academy a reasonable venue. Are Spoon really THAT big in Toronto? Apparently so.

The dapper-looking quartet in their monochratic shirt and trousers performed a delectable set of tunes from their new album "Transference", their previous efforts "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" and "Gimme Fiction" and peppering the setlist with oldies from "Girls Can Tell" ('Me and the Bean'), and "Kill The Moonlight"('Small Stakes'). What the band lacked in stage presence (though they were far from wet blankets on stage, with Britt Daniel oozing more slinky sexuality that I recalled on previous visits to Toronto), the band compensated musically, with the group's sublime mix of guitar, bass, keys and drums, led by Daniel's attractive semi-raspy vocals tying things together perfectly. What makes Spoon so generally distinctive is their devotion to classic songwriting, songs that have an air of influence of bands before them, but yet so timeless sounding when I come to think of it. When so many bands these days sound like a genre, indie or what have you, Spoon are truly in that minority of bands that really make good melodic, rock n' roll music.

Random points: Deerhunter's Cox guested on one song. Britt made a humourous comment about a moustached-guest musician being on "lead moustache". There was good audience handclap participation on "I Summon You". The keyboard staccato of "Small Stakes" absolutely sizzled. And while real horns would have been nice on encore closer "The Underdog", still the song's celebratory mood was such a perfect way to end the show.

Eye Weekly has a review plus also the setlist from the show.

Photos: Spoon @ Sound Academy, Toronto (March 29, 2010)
MySpace: The Strange Boys
MySpace: Deerhunter
MySpace: Spoon

Lily Allen, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head @ Sound Academy (April 22, 2009)

concert review: Lily Allen, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head @ Sound Academy (Toronto, Ontario) - April 22, 2009

Lily Allen @ Sound Academy(April 22, 2009): photo by Michael Ligon


Lily Allen, that young woman in the chiffon dress back in 2006 who'd I'd witnessed make her sold-out but all-too-brief Toronto debut at Lee's Palace is now able to play large venues like Sound Academy as she did last week to a nearly sold out audience. Her debut "Alright Still" whose popularity was a product of months of Internet buzz was favourite of mine in 2006. However, two and half years later with the release of her sophomore album "It's Not Me It's You" seems like a long time and I'd doubed whether Sound Academy was too large of a venue for Lily but witnessing the nearly sold-out crowd and many in attendance (mostly young ladies) singing along to the new songs was ample evidence that Lily's more popular than ever.

Opening the show was Seattle's Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, a band name which is just plain terrible, although the music while not the type of longevity at least had more than an ounce of fun. Like an electro-dance-rock B-52's for the new millenium they sang songs abouts beards, ponytails, Madonna, and how highschool sucks(this last song which drummer Liam Downey Jr., a devoted follower of Degrassi, devoted the song too). Lead vocals for the most part were handled energetically by vocalist Luke Smith although lone female member Claire England did her best white-girl rapping on "Sophisticated Side Ponytail".

Maybe it was because Toronto was the last stop of her current North American stop that Lily Allen seemed in such high spirits. Or maybe it was she'd had a little to drink but whatever it was she was happy. As Lily would eventually express to the crowd, she was looking forward to going home to her mom (who always cooks her tasty meals), and to her dog. With the back of the stage emblazoned with the word "Lily" in large white letters, Lily finalled made her entrance to a rapturous crowd. Coming out in a hoody covering her head she'd eventually shed the jacket altogether to reveal a black spandex outfit. She did admit to wearing Spanx (a type of slimming garment) and saying how all the women in the crowd would know what she's talking about which drew a response from the ladies.

The set drew heavy on her most recent album "It's Not Me It's You" of course and while lyrically she's as biting and honest as ever, it does follow more of a pop-oriented approach than it's predecessor "Alright Still" which felt like a multicultural collision between Lily's London-town roots and influences from Calypso, ska, and hip hop. It was lovely to hear her perform the first album's 'Everything's Just Wonderful' which she hadn't performed at Lee's in 2006 and her infectious skanking hit 'Smile' (which she performed during the encore, by which time she'd changed into jeans and a t-shirt) but the set was truly devoted to her most recent album. I like the country-western leanings of "Not Fair" and the polished-pop of "Chinese" and "This Fear" and as the new songs unravelled before me I realized how good the new album was. Needless to say, I should really go buy it. It's only Lily who could pull off singing a song called "Fuck You", a song that's less about shock value and more of a cheeky poke at the asshole(George W. Bush) it's written about. Lily expressed while the song was written about one asshole in mind it could apply to any number of assholes, bigots, racists, or what have you. I'd have never expected Lily Allen as this generation's 'folk' music but during that song, as we'd all happily raised our middle fingers in unison, you wouldn't have doubted it.

Photos: Lily Allen @ Sound Academy (April 22, 2009)

MuchMusic and Fazer have a review of and photos from the show. Also check out reviews over at chartattack, The Toronto Sun and The Toronto Star.

MySpace: Natalie Portman's Shaved Head
MySpace: Lily Allen