Archive for the ‘Concerts’ Category
Drake @ Sound Academy - Photos
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Drake. Drizzy. Young Lion. Aubrey. Call him what you like, but don’t call him an up-and-comer - the dude is already a star. How else do you explain a sold-out show at Sound Academy for an unsigned artist? How else do you explain 2300 people spending $40 A POP, clamoring to see an artist who has yet to drop an album? Up-and-coming, please. Drake is already here.
To be purposely corny, you could feel electricity in the air before the show kicked off. Drake calls Toronto home and this was his hometown crowd, chanting his name 45 minutes before he appeared. The tiny backstage was sardined with supporters including Kardinal Offishall, everyone anxious to see what could one day be spoken of as a legendary event.
Tags: concert reviews, drake
Posted in Concerts | 1 Comment »
Attack In Black @ Horseshoe Tavern
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
By Liem Vu
So while last Saturday saw Rihanna officially become the latest inductee into The Hall of (Nudie) Fame, a different kind of non-nekkid buzz was building at the Horseshoe Tavern as music connoisseurs gathered for a flannel-filled evening of musky, folk-rock tunes and classic rock guitar riffs courtesy of Attack in Black.
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Tags: concert reviews
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Lady Sovereign @ Lee’s Palace
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
By Liem Vu
Love her or hate her, it’s still my obsession that Lady Sovereign has an uncanny resemblance to Mel C and by the looks of her ensemble last Friday, Dan Levy as well.
Ch-check it out:
What do you guys think?
*Ahem*
Now that I got my daily non-sequitur fix out of the way, let’s get down and dirty with the 5”1 expletive-prone North London MC who has been dubbed as the female Eminem by The New Yorker. While the Tetris-themed music video for “Love Me or Hate Me” saw the fruition of this comparison with Lady Sov sporting a variety of ridiculous costumes, her sharp wit has never been reduced to Slim Shady’s blatant parodies or melancholic melodramas.
Demonstrating that she is just as much a rapper as she is an entertainer, Lady Sovereign hit up Lee’s Palace in support of her sophomore album, Jigsaw, where she cranked out a few oldies (“Love Me Or Hate Me,” “Public Warning”), a bunch of newbies (“So Human,” “Bang Bang,” “Pennies”), as well as a cover of Metro Station’s “Shake It”.
However, the highlight of the night was when Sov would take “breaks” during her set where she would interact with the audience, making it an evening of memorable sound bites and crazy shenanigans.
Here are the highlights:
1.) Brushing her hair with a toothbrush
2.) Quenching the audience’s thirst by drenching them in beer
3.) Throwing out some cash money into the crowd during “Pennies”
4.) Touching herself in the nether-regions
5.) Flashing her female-bosom support apparatus
6.) Letting her fans drink her vodka only to realize, “Oh great, I got the pig’s flu”
7.) Stealing a green tie from a concertgoer and saying it looked like a green lizard’s [lady business].
For a 23-year old artist, Lady Sov carried herself like a veteran without ever coming off like a pompous or pretentious musician. Thank you, Sovereign, for giving Toronto an evening of cheekiness, wittiness and sneakiness.
First, the Adele gig at Massey Hall, then the leaked Susan Boyle rendition of “Killing Me Softly,” and now, Sovereign. Thanks Britain, you sure have been generous this past week.
Tags: concert reviews, lady sovereign
Posted in Concerts | 6 Comments »
Green Go @ Wrongbar
Monday, May 4th, 2009By Liem Vu
After a six-month love affair with Thunderheist’s “Jerk It,” I found myself at a sudden crossroads of having to find an equally danceable track with a perfect mélange of melodic hooks and frenetic electro-rhythms. Guelph synth-rockers, Green Go, were the answer to my woes as they burst onto the small stage a few weeks ago at Sonic Boom Records with their anthemic tune, “You Know You Want It,” in celebration of Record Store Day.
Holding their own against other Toronto indie-heavyweights like Slim Twig and Hooded Fang, frontman Ferenc “Fezz” Stenton and frontwoman Jessica Tollefsen’s co-ed stage presence were nothing short of a perfect marriage of Chris Martin-esque humility and Emily Haines-like ferocity; traits that seemed ever more potent at their CD release party last Thursday at Wrongbar.
Like the colourful orgy of confetti-like Chiclets on the cover of their first full-length, Borders, the Guelph quintet hit the stage in celebratory fashion (and often, in technicolour) as they ushered in the album’s release with a sonic sampling of tracks that included the spirited (“Brains for Breakfast”) and the sassy (“Cash for Gremlins”).
The large crowd of fedora-rocking and skinny jean-sporting hipsters went from subdued sways to voracious head bobbing offering us a glimpse of what Electric Circus (ah, the nostalgia) may have been like today if it were still around.
In a warm and fuzzy moment that rivaled any episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 (ah, the cuteness), Tollefsen’s dad gave a gleeful grin when the red-panted frontwoman screamed out, “That’s my dad!”
While the under sixty-minute set omitted some of the stronger tracks from Borders, it was nevertheless a success as even the photographers abandoned their stoic professionalism for periods of psychedelic thrashing.
So if you haven’t done it yet, Go Green…er…Green Go! You know you want it. *Cue strobe light, disco ball, sweaty-ness and most importantly, indie-ness*
Tags: concert reviews, green go
Posted in Concerts | 5 Comments »
K-os Karma
Friday, May 1st, 2009K-os has a brand new album Yes! and I’m all about the positivity that resonates from the word and the music. K-os is about to embark on the Karma Tour, which could have you catching his live show for FREE in every major city in Canada.
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Tags: Concerts, k-os
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Lily Allen @ Sound Academy - Photos
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
Lily Allen is the cutest and also one of the coolest. I mean, I’m not biased or anything - maybe slightly - but you can’t hate on a lady who lets loose on stage… dancing like you would in the safety of your bedroom, comfy in some Air Jordans, lighting a cigarette, having a drink, giggling like she’s maybe a little self-conscious up there, discussing her under-attire Spanx, moaning about on-tour weight gain. You get my drift.
Lily changed venues to the Sound Academy after fans ravenously scooped up her first block of tickets set for The Phoenix Concert Theatre. And this place was paaaacked! She busted out from backstage with “Everyone’s At It” (or as her setlist says, “Everyone’s A Tit”) and then “I Could Say”. Throughout the night she stuck mostly to her latest album with a few tracks from Alright, Still thrown in for extra spice.
More, plus photos after the jump!
Tags: Concerts, lily allen
Posted in Concerts, Photos | No Comments »
Kings Of Leon Photos From The ACC
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009by Alberto Bonora
Last night Kings Of Leon ripped the roof off the ACC with an amazing show. The sold out ACC is a huge jump for the boys from Tennessee who have previously played the Kool Haus. With the success of their latest album ‘Only By The Night’ it was no surprise to me that they would sell out the ACC, it was only a matter of time.
The minute that the Followill brothers and cousin stepped foot on stage, everyone in the ACC were on their feet cheering. This was probably the loudest show I’ve ever been to at the ACC (which also includes Leaf & Raptor games).
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Tags: Concerts, kings of leon, Reviews
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Metric Live at the Mod Club
Friday, April 17th, 2009Metric launched their new album Fantasies properly last night at the ModClub in Toronto.
After a few exclusive shows and appearances over the last few weeks the band performed a blistering set at the venue that hosted 4 sold out Metric shows several years ago.
The band was obviously thrilled to be playing to a room of superfans that scored tickets through a quick pre-sale or won them off the radio. Fans were immediately jumping around and totally into the new songs.
Emily struggled with her keyboards and drew reference to the fact that they had a tumultuous relationship with the venue.
It only took a few minutes for the problem to be resolved and the band was back up and playing for a solid hour and a half.
The bands new album Fantasies is a fine return to form of catchy post modern pop music that touches on themes of apathy, alienation, and fame.
To quote Emily….Who’d you rather be:
The Beatles or the Rolling Stones….. Or The Beach Boys or The Who?
Tags: emily haines, fantasies, metric, mod club
Posted in Concerts, Photos, Reviews | 1 Comment »
Broken Social Scene Announces Island Performance
Monday, April 13th, 2009
Canadian indie darlings Broken Social Scene have announced they’re headlining an all-day event on Toronto’s Olympic Island on Saturday, July 11. Other performers include Explosions in the Sky, Thunderheist, Beach House, Apostle of Hustle and Rattlesnake Choir. A pre-sale for fans starts today on the Arts & Crafts website with a limited-edition digital sampler that features one song from each performing artist. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Friday, April 17 at 10am.
Posted in Concerts, News | No Comments »
Sebastien Tellier at MOD Club
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
By Kenia Pena
Last night I had the opportunity to witness Sebastien Tellier in the flesh, at the MOD club. I was so excited to see him, especially since I was on my 10 day marathon of only listening to his music.
When he got on stage you couldn’t help but notice his very European style, his full beard, long hair and signature black sunglasses. This look made it very hard to believe that he’s only 34.
He didn’t say anything when he first got on stage. He just picked up his electric guitar and started playing his catchy electro song “Kilometer”. The crowd quickly responded with a loud cheer. We were all so excited to begin the Sebastien Tellier sultry ride.
He eventually greeted the crowd, started telling us jokes (He’s very funny) and went straight to his bottle of white wine, that was sitting on his keyboard and poured himself a glass, which he would repeatedly go back to after each song. He loves his wine!
His performance was excellent! He would wale out on his electric guitar, go off on some crazy solos and then create a smooth sultry symphony on his keyboard. He played a lot of his electro hits at the beginning of the show, while thrusting at his guitar, seducing the mic stand and waving his fingers in the air, as though he was touching long flowing hair.
Towards the end he played “La Ritournelle”, one of the most beautiful love songs and “Lamour et La Violence”, which caused a tear to run down my face. There’s something about his French voice that I love. Maybe it’s his accent…I’m a sucker for accents.
Over all, he made me feel sexy, he made me feel happy, he made me feel sad, he just made me feel!
Check out his latest album Sexuality, which was produced by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk.
Tags: mod club, sebastien tellier
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