Frizz fest 2009?
I caught the Jay Reatard show with Murphy and Sarah at the Mod Club last week.
I am thinking that the prerequisite for taking the stage for this line up was to amass as much follicle fortitude as one venue can withstand. With that being said, Murphy and I were very much out of place as we are both a little short changed in that department.
I was anticipating this show for some time as I was in need of something a little higher tempo/harder than the last dozen shows I have caught. If anything, for the sheer energy, or at the very least to just mix it up a little. Well, I guess I got what I was looking for. Maybe a little too much of it.
The opening bands (and I use the term 'bands' very loosely) were nothing more than a disappointment. So much so, I don't even feel it necessary to look back to find out who they were. I do recall that the 2nd act (a local Toronto band if I am not mistaken) not only left a bitter taste, but had me wishing the attention starved singer would get knocked out mid set. It wasn't to be so we had to endure. The high point was the singer overhearing their own publicist telling Sarah she thought they sucked while meeting in the bathroom. The lead singer made a point of sharing this bit of information with concert goers. No one cared.
On to Jay Reatard.
I have to say, although I am a huge fan of his Matador singles 08 album and it gets heavy rotation on my ipod, it didn't translate very well in a live setting. To be quite frank, it was a disappointment. I mean, I knew it would be balls out energy but I wasn't expecting everything to be sped up tenfold. Songs seemed to bleed into each other with no clear indication that it was even a different track playing. Murphy was thinking a garage band of this nature might possibly put on a show similar to Tricky Woo. This clearly wasn't the case. Two Gibson flying V's, a drummer, and loads of hair just about sums it up.
This will not be making any "best of" lists in the near future.
At least his last outing in Toronto ended in violence and him storming off the stage. That could have been a game changer if it happened again. However, it didn't. So he fails.
Next up - M83
