I had seen Kandle before, when she played The Drake Underground, so I knew I was going to enjoy her set. On the cusp of releasing new music, and with Peter Dreimanis joining her on stage for a tune, I found Kandle and the band more powerful than I remember. I loved the songs and her soulfully beautiful voice.
Hamilton band Shade was the second band to hit the stage for Sleepless Records' Showcase at Canadian Music Week. They belted out their heavy tunes with an Oasis-inspired delivery.
New York City's Sunflower Bean played Toronto's Legendary Horseshoe Tavern last night as their tour supporting their new album Twentytwo in Blue rolls on. They're touring with the incredible Dream Wife opening the shows and blowing minds. My thoughts on their set and my photos of them are here.
I've been a Sunflower Bean fan since I first heard their music. This was my first time actually making it to one of their shows. It was one of those mixed emotion things. I looked forward to this show for a long time, I loved their set and was so happy I got to experience their amazing live show, but it made me wish that I had seen them on their previous Toronto tour stops. I hope I won't miss them again.
I find that singer and bassist Julia Cumming channels so much 70s glam rock's energy, attitude and vibe. And it's not just the boots. Sunflower Bean's music definitely has a harder edge to it live and they even got a pit going during the main set when Julia jumped down into the crowd, and again for show-closer "I Was Home". They got good crowd interaction during current hit "Crisis Fest".
Their set struck a good balance between their two full-length albums and brought their abundant influences, along with their own unique additions to them, to the surface. The set varied dynamically to keep things flowing. I loved the band's overall energy, highlighted by Julia's amazing presence and stage attitude along with guitarist Nick Kivlen's nuanced guitar playing and pyjamas, and drummer Jacob Faber's relentless beats. They make a gloriously full noise for a three-piece.
The only lingering question I'm left with is, what was that one-off cover tune that they started the encore with? If anyone who was there can fill me in, I'll add it to the post.
Check out some Sunflower Bean tunes from their setlist:
I kinda knew it was going to happen, but it was still an incredible revelation to have my mind blown by Dream Wife last night. The Brighton band are on a mission to win over audiences with their instantly addictive music, attitude and energy. They're currently out on tour with Sunflower Bean and played Toronto's Legendary Horseshoe Tavern last night. Click through to see my photos of Sunflower Bean and my thoughts on their set here.
Dream Wife get a ton of hype and lots of people gathered up to the stage to take in every little bit of the intense experience. Horseshoe Tavern owner Jeff Cohen gave the band a wonderful introduction, and then they proceeded to unleash their tight, 9-song set on us, living up to, and even surpassing, all the hype and build-up.
We got to hear most of their self-titled debut album with little nods to Blondie's "One Way or Another" and Spice Girls "Wannabe". They told us about the special place that Toronto and indeed Canada hold in their hearts, which is always a nice connection to hear about. The crowd, and I, loved every second of the show. It did seem like it all flew by in a second; with barely time to take a breath. I knew from listening to their album that they’d be amazing. And they were.
Please, do not miss them when they come back to Toronto. Hint, hint, probably in the fall and probably headlining. And of course, if you're not in Toronto, and Dream Wife are playing anywhere reasonably near you, go see them. You will not be sorry.
