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The last time I saw the Raveonettes was when they were touring behind their sophomore full length, Pretty in Black, with LA noisepop trio Autolux.  While I’ll admit I went primarily for Autolux (who are probably, and pretty much a well known fact around these CJLO halls, my favourite band currently), having the Raveonettes on the bill was an added bonus, as I was a fan of their Jesus and Mary Chain knock off songs.  It was pretty much a dream show for anybody who likes their pop songs covered in white noise, fuzz, feedback, and the occasional droney rhythms, and the Raves were spot-on that night - bubbly, buoyant and loud.

Since then, some things have changed for the Danish duo of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo.  The last time they were here, they had a full backing band (drummer, bassist and guitarist) which provided some loud and dense versions of their recorded output.  This time, as they premiered on their stint at SXSW earlier, they’ve decided to strip things down to just Wagner and Foo on guitar, and a stand-up drummer (snare, floor tom/bass drum, and one cymbal only), giving another nod to the early setup of the Jesus and Mary Chain.  While they did employ the use of sequencers for added fuzz and bass sounds (I think Foo only picked up the bass on one song), it didn’t sound too phony, and it also didn’t seem like they were relying too much on sequencers or laptops (*ahem* Jesu.)  While I’m not a big fan of live sequencers, they actually pulled it off nicely, and Wagner and Foo managed to coax enough searing shards of white noise from their stockpile of pedals that pretty much proved that as a 3-piece they’re just as noisy as they were as a 5-piece.

New songs from their latest, and best album, Lust Lust Lust were enthusiastically received, especially “Dead Sound” and current single “I Want the Candy”, while older songs like “Great Love Sound” and especially “Attack of the Ghost Riders” got a fervent (fist pumping…I kid you not) response from the crowd.

Not necessarily the most energetic (already having cancelled one date in Detroit and apparently appearing extremely exhausted at the Toronto show the night before), the band seemed to be still shaking off some of the mental and physical cobwebs brought on from playing a ridiculous amount of shows at this year’s SXSW festival in Ausin, Tx.  That being said, they did have enough energy in their system to put on a solid show, and were probably feeding off of the excited Saturday night crowd.  As well, the subdued atmosphere of black clothing and soft red lights seemed to help with providing a more laid-back feeling to the show, rather than making the trio look tired. 

Leaving the crowd happy, they ended their set with a great take on Stereolab’s “French Disko” and then finally with a searing rendition of Lust Lust Lust’s opener, and one of my fave songs of the year so far, “Aly Walk With Me”, complete with two extended white noise freakouts that you could feel deep in your ear canal.  That was some next-level brain tickling, I tell ya (hehehe, I remember playing this song for CJLO Program Director Brian Joseph and having him cover his ears…not a big fan of the white noise freakouts, that man…).

As for the venue, I’ve never seen a show at Les Saints, and had just been told it’s usually too big for the shows booked there.  Luckily for the Raves, the show was pretty well attended, and the hall, which basically looks like an oversized basement, surprisingly had pretty good sound.  Asides from an exit-line that pretty much bottlenecks near the coat-check area (*cough* fire hazard *cough*), it’s not a bad venue for shows.

Anyhow, end result?  Not a bad show at all.  Nothing too special, but a pleasant performance nonetheless…and I at least got my white noise fix for the week, giving me some cloudy hearing post-show for a few minutes…yeeeah, totally worth it.

The thing about side-project bands is that they are always a gamble the first time around…and when gambling, the outcome can go one of three ways: win big, lose bad or come out even. The latter is how it was last night at the Green Room when Nickel Eye pulled into town to kick off their North American tour. Given the fact that their debut album, The Time of the Assassins, will only be released on Jan 27th (and I haven’t had the chance to hear an advanced copy either), it was -30° outside and the show hadn’t been overly advertised, breaking even isn’t such a bad thing.

Nickel Eye is a clever play on words for The Strokes’ bass player Nikolai Fraiture’s side project. While the hiatus following the last album and tour for his main day job began to drag on, Nickolai hooked up with the UK band South and recorded some demos in London. Taking the songs back across the Atlantic, he enlisted the help of some New York musicians/friends (Nick Zimmer of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Regina Spektor) and finished the album. Completely written and produced by Nikolai, Time of the Assassins, is a departure from the Strokes upbeat post-punk sound. Rooted in the songs of Leonard Cohen, it is much more influenced by the 60’s Greenwich Village folk sound than the 70’s Lower East Sides music scene. Now this may not be the best description of the album, but as I’ve already said, I have yet to be able to sit and give the album a proper listen … but since this is a review of the show and not the album that isn’t something I’m going to worry about.

The fact that I gave the show a “breaking even” rating isn’t to say that the music wasn’t good, it had more to do with other factors that kept it from being a stand out show. First was the fact that it was the kickoff show of the tour and it felt like it. While the songs were okay, it just seemed like the band had not had enough time playing them to inspire an audience that has yet to hear them. It was more like a dress rehearsal than a proper show. Adding to the problem was the fact that even though the Green Room was pretty full, most of the audience seemed like they had come to see a member of the Strokes rather than Nickel Eye. This is something that is going to happen when you begin a tour two weeks before the album comes out and you are mostly known for being the quiet member of the band who at the turn of the century were christened the saviors of rock. Singer-songwriter folk rock isn’t going to get much of a response from people expecting The Strokes hits like “Last Nite” or “Hard to Explain”. At one point early on, Nikolai even mentioned the lack of energy in the room by commenting “You can cut the silence with a knife,” that got a few snickers but didn’t solve the problem. All of this added with the Wednesday night slot, the aforementioned -30° and the drive through a snowstorm in the Adirondack Mountains to get here, the show was in a bad spot from the start.

That’s not to say that there weren’t any highlights. The first single Brandy of the Damned is the closest thing to a Strokes song Nickel Eye has. It could easily be an out-take from Room on Fire or First Impressions of Earth, with its weird Gypsy/reggae beat and jangly guitars. Back From Exile, which is the B-side to Brandy, is a Dylan-esque folk-rock song that could easily have been released as a single on its own strength. My personal favorite Nickel Eye song of the night was probably Providence, R.I., a song rooted in the memories of visits to his Grandfather’s place in the woods of Rhode Island. In fact it was the one song that was shouted as a request from someone a few songs into the night. Deciding to stick to his pre-arranged set list Nikolai reassured the audience member that it was coming up and adding “this is all we got.” The best song of the night had to be the cover of Nico’s classic track These Days. I hate to say that the best song of the night was a cover, but when you have the foresight to pick such a perfect song that works with both your folk-noir sound and your New York City connection, then it isn’t a negative, is it?

All in all I give Nikolai credit for doing his own thing and not just trying to recreate The Strokes. These are his songs and his musical statement. For the quiet one to step out of the shadows and pick up a guitar and harmonica takes guts. Had the album been out a while and the band been able to have a few more shows under its belt, then this show would probably have rated higher for me. Then again all things are relative, since a girl named Claudia told Nickel Eye on their myspace page that it was “the show of a lifetime.”

The Tom Fun Orchestra and Amanda Mabro at le Petit Campus was a wild and wonderful experience! The show started a tad late, after I hurriedly shuffled upwards through the blizzard at an incline of 45 degrees up the steep and slippery slope of St. Laurent, but the waiting period provided a chance for me to get the best seat in the house: a quaint little table with 2 chairs for me and my photographer right at the front! The atmosphere was cozy, with a small but nicely-lit stage occupying the back wall and ample dancing space separating the stage from the seating area.

Amanda Mabro took the stage in a modest but classy black dress along with her partners in crime known only as “The Cabaret Band.” They started the show off with a big and loud song that encapsulated the very essence of cabaret with a ragged edge of garage. With gusto and flair she belted out a series of darkly dramatic melodies with a powerful, low voice that suited the swing-style drums and old-timey silent-film-cabaret piano perfectly. I was happy to have found an excellent Canadian artist to feature on The Marvelous Darkness!

When at last The Tom Fun Orchestra appeared onstage, I was surprised they all fit. The eight-piece band squeezed onto the stage along with their drum set, bass, two guitars, trumpet, violin, banjo and accordion. With such a combination of instruments, one might have expected an overdose of audacious aural output. But the metaphor of too many cooks in the kitchen—or in this case, too many musicians on the stage—was only an issue in terms of physical space. There was plenty of room in the music for all of those lovely, lovely instruments, whose sounds melded together in a harmonious confluence of Cape-Breton-based musical magnificence.

The eight-piece ensemble stormed the sound waves with a rip-roarin’ opening number full of folkish but rockin’ energy. I was surprised that the whole crowd wasn’t up on their feet from the moment the first note was struck. Fronted by the deep, gravelly voice of lead singer-songwriter “Tom Fun” (or “Robot Orbison”, according to the band’s MySpace), the band’s eclectic sound was fueled by pure Cape Breton energy. The deep and rough lead vocals were paired nicely with the female backup vocalist, whose unique voice brought an edge of modern indie-band girl-vocals to the mix. Mingling elements of folk, rock, blues, roots and punk, the band’s stage presence was both visually and aurally powerful.

Clap-along songs were vigorously clapped along to, danceable songs were vigorously danced along to, and sing-able choruses were vigorously sung along to. It was a fully interactive and engaging concert. Not a moment of time in any of the songs allowed my mind enough space to wander. The band held my attention consistently, which is quite a feat considering I have the attention span of half a dead gnat. Not only did they hold my attention, but I was completely, thoroughly entertained for the entire set, and found myself dreading the end of the show—or better yet, hoping the show would never come to an end. Alas, as all things do, the show eventually drew to a close, nearly ending on what I thought would be a disappointing note: a song introduced as a lullaby—not that lullabies themselves are without merit—but for a closing piece? Fortunately, my distress was done away with when they broke into an energetic closing number that left the audience feeling fulfilled and utterly satisfied. Well, I can’t speak for everyone with utmost certainty, but I would judge by the deafening chorus of “huzzahs” that the rest of the crowd felt the same as I did: cheering enough to squeeze an encore out of the band, which was also sublime.

Tom’s delightful inter-song dialogue was peppered with just the right amount of good ol’ east-coast sailor cuss words, including one song’s introduction, which consisted of: “This song is called, ‘Fuck Wednesdays. Fuck Snowstorms on Wednesdays’.” and then proceeded to play a slower, soft tune. The heavy snowstorm that night was attributed to Mother Nature being so excited about the arrival of the band that she “took a dump all over the city”. The following song was dedicated to Mother Nature, who was allegedly in the house. A vague reference to Willy Wonka was made, and a brief conversation was had between Tom and a drunken spectator. He also claimed to have written a song for us, the audience, specifically. Thanks, Tom. And thanks for the best show I’ve been to in ages. If ever offered the opportunity to behold The Tom Fun Orchestra live in concert, grab it in a firm grip and be steadfast.

It’s always an unfortunate circumstance when a writer needs to review two shows right after one another since there are only so many creative juices to be spread around. That having been said, I apologize to the Street Dogs for phoning in most of their review because I really need everything I’ve got to adequately describe how blown my mind was by The Gaslight Anthem… although, in all fairness, if your show was as good as theirs it wouldn’t be a problem. Don’t feel bad though…I’m almost certain that if Kurt Cobain and Joe Strummer resurrected and formed a six member super group that played both Nirvana and Clash songs that it still wouldn’t be as good those four young men from New Jersey were (but, to be fair, it would PROBABLY be close.)   

Though, to be fair, the show DID have openers in the form of Montreal’s own Dirty Tricks and Burlington, Ontario’s Saint Alvia. Now, I won’t lie, I was really looking forward to Dirty Tricks. Their 2007 full length Sauve Qui Peut was easily one of my favorite records of that year, yet before now I had somehow missed every opportunity I had to catch them live. As it turns out, that may not have been a bad thing…as while the band was tight as all hell; I found their performance relatively dry. Almost as if they knew that the majority of the room was not there to see them and they were reacting in kind. They didn’t appear to have any genuine love for what they were doing, which made it really hard to enjoy it. I acknowledge that it was good, but a little more care would have been nice.

On the other hand, Saint Alvia, who I’d been a vocal non-fan of since I first caught them at Warped Tour in 2007 (back when they were still The Saint Alvia Cartel), were actually a lot more solid than I ever remember them being. After seeing the band open for folk punk legends Against Me! last September, I found my biggest critique of the band was that they kept trying to bounce from genre to genre, never really finding a foothold in any of them. This time around, it appears as if they’ve settled on a groovy, reggae influenced “Clash meets The Hold Steady” sound that they pulled off quite well. While they still aren’t my cup of tea (mostly since I already love The Hold Steady AND The Clash) and their second guitarist still REALLY wants to be Joe Strummer (to the point of embarrassment), at least this time they were consistent and their growth over the last half a year is evident as well. They’re not quite there yet, but they are showing definite improvement.

Which brings us to the headliners and the reason I finally broke my stigma surrounding going to shows at La Tulipe (which, despite being horrendously out of the way, turns out to actually be a really great venue), New Brunswick, New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem. When I first heard of these guys in 2007 with their debut full length Sink or Swim, I suspected that for the first time in a long time I had something special on my hands. Just a short year later they released their second record, The ’59 Sound and by that point I was POSITIVE that I might have found that one band that in will be selling out arenas in ten years and I will get to say “neener neener, I saw them when…” However, success on record and success when playing live are two monstrously different things. However, after being lucky enough to attend one of the record release shows for The ’59 Sound in August I could rest comfortably knowing that what may possibly be the most earnest rock band to come out of the east coast punk scene in the last ten years was just as tight, earnest and downright SOULFUL live. However, going into this performance I was left wondering…”was their awesomeness entirely dependent on the special status of the show? Was what I saw then the norm, or will this be a paint by numbers, 50 minute set full of new stuff and not much substance?” As it turns out, and answer to all of those was an emphatic NO. As the band took the darkened stage, singer/guitarist Brian Fallon addressed the audience as if they were old friends…”man…its dark in here…lemme tell you a ghost story from New Jersey…” before the full band launched into (59 Sound lead off track) “Great Expectations” and set the standard for the rest of the evening. Playing for well over an hour, the band managed to not only run through ALL of The ’59 Sound but the entirety of their Senor and the Queen EP (also from 2008) as well, in addition to four fan favorites from Sink or Swim (“We Came to Dance”, “Boomboxes and Dictionaries”, “The Navesink Banks” and “I’da Called You Woody, Joe”.) Through all of that, they never once let the intensity fall below and dull roar and the few breaks they did take were filled with Fallon’s innocent brand of witty stage banter. While saying he “worked the crowd” would be a somewhat inappropriate choice of words in this case, he made it clear that he in no way held himself above those in the crowd as he addressed everyone in attendance as friends and equals. If I were sharing a beer with him, I would expect there to be nothing different.

This connection to the audience and acknowledgement of their past is particularly important given how unbelievably huge this band will be in a very short time. They already went from being complete unknowns to “the next big thing” in under a year and in a few months they’ll be opening for their idol (and predominant musical influence) Bruce Springsteen in front of eighty thousand people in England. I can’t even imagine where they’ll end up after that, but I will say that a year ago they were “the next Against Me!” and I can safely say that at this point it’s more like “the next Rolling Stones.”  Now before you go calling “bullshit” on me, I’ll ask if YOU have ever seen a band play a city for the first time in their three year career and have the entire 700+ person crowd sing along to every single word? I think not.