The Unicorns @ Metropolis

Who Will Cut our Hair Now that The Unicorns are Gone?

Excitement and energy filled the Metropolis concert hall on the night that The Unicorns played Montreal after a ten-year hiatus. I walked into the room feeling nostalgic with memories of listening to The Unicorns as a teenager, but I had no real idea of what to expect from the live show. I heard amazing stories from my roommate who recalled seeing the guys in 2004 at a show in Toronto where they invited a random, rough-looking man on stage to drum for them, only to find out that he had excellent rhythm. I kept this story in the back of my mind.

For this particular portion of their reunion, the band was cast to close the 2014 edition of POP Montreal, playing on the last night of the five-day fest. POP Montreal, now in its 13th year of festival magic, would have been in its early beginnings at the same time that The Unicorns were in full swing. So it seemed as if the show was a planned perk for seasoned POP participants, and the buzz surrounding it was huge.

Before The Unicorns took the stage there were three extremely diverse, yet completely entertaining opening acts: local superstars The Adam Brown, Each Other, and Toronto drag/dance pop queen, Light Fires. The opening bands managed to feed the playful energy of the crowd, that was otherwise reduced to nursing their festival hangovers with over-priced cups of St. Amboise blonde in anticipation of the main act. 

The Unicorns' set opened with audio/visual recordings of what seemed to be amateur actors exclaiming, "I'm so excited to see The Unicorns perform tonight." This phrase easily summed up the overall sentiment in the room. There was an uncanny mutilation of the video, chopping and screwing the clips into undecipherable messages only to be replaced with classic '90s Microsoft screensavers for the duration of the show. Remember those 3D mazes, rotating peace signs, and flying toasters? This was a particularly clever and likely low-cost approach to a multi-media music show and artfully playing into the nostalgic feel of their set.

They sounded exactly like their recordings. The silly concept of "I was born a unicorn" contrasted against the heavy sentiment of "what will happen when we die?" is what is so mesmerizing both in the trio's recordings and their live set. Though the playful definitely outweighed the dark in this particular show.

However, the band ended up lacking in the showmanship that had come to be main staple in their performances a decade ago. They skipped the funny outfits and gimmicky gags, perhaps due to the venue. I can't imagine it's easy to get away with much in a place the size of Metropolis. Or perhaps it's the passage of time, as all 20-somethings turn into 30-somethings eventually. Still, the musicians interacted pleasurably with the crowd, responding to rowdy shouts of "I love you" and playing pranks on the eager audience awaiting the final encores. There was even a shout-out to Concordia University, so be proud Concordians! The audience crowd surfed, danced like maniacs, and audibly sang along to hits like "Jellybones" and "Inoculate and the Innocuous"

Predictably, but ever so satisfyingly, the band ended by playing a one-song encore with "I was Born (a Unicorn)." Concert complete. 

-- Christina Bell is one of CJLO's dedicated volunteers. Visit our Volunteer page to find out how you can join our team!