Milow + Brett Denen @ National Theatre

Brett Dennen took the stage in front of a packed house at the gorgeous and historic National Theatre. While I disapprove of his music generally, the songsmith has an undeniable charisma, and set against the smoky, softly lit backdrop of the National’s stage his 6’5” frame is impossible to ignore. His entrance was marked by screams from the crowd, many of whom had obviously come just to hear him play.

On the back end of their North American tour, Dennen and his band were in top form. The hour-long set was well rehearsed and crisply executed, and the crowd responded, singing and clapping along the whole time, but lighting up especially for the early single "Ain’t No Reason" (2006) and his most recent hit "Sydney (I’ll Come Runnin)" (2011).

Dennen himself sounded great; his voice ranged from a raspy moan to a soulful, lucid falsetto. For me, Dennen’s flexibility of vocal expression is the thread that both connects and gives life to his music. It is everything that his songwriting is generally not: textured, expressive, and meaningful.

Some people filtered out before Milow (Jonathan Vandenbroeck) and his band set up their instruments, but a decent crowd remained to hear them out. Vandenbroeck introduced himself, and spoke throughout his set in halting, garbled French. Combined with the beaming grin permanently affixed to his face and his boyish movements on stage, this gave his performance a naïveté that almost excused his moronic lyricism, and simplistic musical choices.

Milow saved his adult contemporary version of Timberlake/land’s "Ayo Technology" for last. The crowd responded powerfully, and Vanderbroeck milked it, instigating claps and sing-alongs, jumping up and down, and eventually descending into the crowd to chant the chorus to "99 Problems."

Milow’s encore began unplugged, with just him and his guitarist, Tom Vanstiphout, playing and singing into one microphone stand. The noise of the crowd moving and chatting at first drowned out the much quieter sound from the stage. The shushing that ensued drained all the energy out of the building, making the first song uncomfortable for everyone, especially Milow.

I should warn readers that neither Dennen nor Milow belong in the category of music that I usually listen to. Nevertheless, the show was a good time. Dennen’s set in particular surprised me, and I’m sure that if I liked Milow’s music I would have had nothing to complain about. The National Theatre itself deserves attention for its incredible sound and ambiance. If someone you listen to is playing there, go see them, full stop.

-Thomas McManus