New York City post-punk band Interpol is certainly among my favourite bands and their music holds a special place in my library. Sadly, they've always been missing from my live photo portfolio. All that changed in September, when I caught their live show at Toronto's Rebel as they toured to support the release of their latest album Marauder.
I only stuck around for their first three songs, unfortunately, since I'd already committed to be up at The Horseshoe for the second night of four in The Hold Steady's Constructive Summer series. Fortunately, they hit up some great tunes like "Pioneer to the Falls" and "All the Rage Back Home" plus new tune "If You Really Love Nothing", so I feel like I got a pretty good, if all too brief, show.
Their setlist has a very cool cross section of Interpol tunes that makes me wish I could have been in two places at once. And that encore! Next time.
And don't forget to check out my shots of opening act Sunflower Bean, who put on a killer set.
Here are some of my favourites from the band's setlist.
Sunflower Bean are an incredibly good rock band from New York City. I've been enjoying their records since I first heard tunes like "Easier Said" and "Wall Watcher" from 2016's Human Ceremony. I caught their show at The Horseshoe last time they were through Toronto and I vowed I wouldn't miss them again. Even though this particular show was on the same night as the second night of The Hold Steady's four-night stand at The Horseshoe, I made it all the way down to Rebel to take in Sunflower Bean and headliners for the night, Interpol.
The band is awesome live, the songs and the performance channel a ton of 70s influence with some tunes featuring early-KISS and Sabbath riffs, Fleetwood Mac chords and David Bowie glamour, with a unique spin and flavour that's entirely Sunflower Bean.
As constructive summer turns to constructive autumn...
Brooklyn, NY alternative/classic rock band The Hold Steady, who happen to be one of my favourite bands, and one that shines in their live shows, played a four-night stand at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, dubbed Constructive Summer, back in September. I attended all four nights, but only the first with camera in tow.
That first night was probably the most special of the four, since they played the entirety of their Stay Positive album, in order, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its release, plus a greatest-hits batch of tunes from the rest of their catalog. The band leveraged the joys and flexibility of internet distribution to put out some tunes before these multi-night weekend shows, allowing the audiences to hear some new songs, played for the first time for us. As Craig Finn put it, they are our songs that we'll remember in ten years as our songs. Wednesday night it was "Confusion in the Marketplace" and Thursday night it was "T-Shirt Tux". That's a pretty nice touch and a cool shot of uniqueness.
On the second night, certain lyrics and comments by Craig struck me more strongly than usual. This night, it was, "Certain songs they get so scratched into our souls" and "Let this be our annual reminder that we can all be something bigger." Craig mentioned that he wanted The Hold Steady to be a band you can be a part of, that the best bands always are and when THS comes to Toronto it feels like that. These lyrical snippets and thoughts, along with our nightly affirmations that we all get so much joy out of the shows, and that we are all The Hold Steady, are some of what makes The Hold Steady special and makes their fans so loyal. Nice words from a true poet of our time.
Over the four nights, we got pretty much everything we look to The Hold Steady for; engaging stories told through invigorating tunes; amazing musicianship from every member of the band (as a guitarist, the interplay between the three guitars on stage is magical); the lyrics being shouted by almost everyone in attendance; fan-brought fun like confetti to be thrown at just the right moment; meeting some cool people who travel from far and wide to see The Hold Steady; and four nights in a row in the comfy confines of The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern.
Fans of The Hold Steady are diligent types and have detailed out their setlists for each of the four nights. Click through on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to check them out.
And what about the opening acts? The Hold Steady curated a great set of four opening acts for these special shows.
First night, it was Weakened Friends from Portland Maine. They played an awesome set of powerful, guitar-driven alternative rock. I loved it and would see them again in a heartbeat. My photos from their set are here.
Second night, it was Dave Hause who opened things up. I've wanted to see Dave for a long time. Unfortunately, it was not to be on this night either, as I was already committed to be over at Rebel capturing Interpol and Sunflower Bean. Next time, Dave!
Third night, the rumour mill was swirling that it would be something special. And it was. The Dirty Nil were celebrating the release day of their new album Master Volume and played a powerhouse set for us. I walked away from this show with the solid opinion that Master Volume would be a great new record. And it is. I felt so lucky to be able to see this show on the day of Master Volume's release.
Fourth night, Pkew Pkew Pkew (Gunshots) were the opener. They said that they played last time The Hold Steady played a four-night stand at The Horseshoe, and they did. I was there. Check out my photos here. They did a great job getting everyone warmed up and moving to their high-energy, hook-filled, sing-along party tunes.
I really enjoyed their hard-driving yet dynamic tunes, their stage presence and their fun attitude. I'd definitely see them again and recommend you check out some tunes below. They're a fantastic band that deserves your attention.
"Early", "95", "Blue Again", "Hate Mail" and "Honestly"
Have you ever had that thing happen, where you go to a show and take photos of a band, you even come home, cull through them and edit a bunch of them, but then you never actually follow through with writing a post and publishing them? Well, embarrassingly enough, it happens to me.
It happened with a show I saw all the way back in 2016 with Little Junior at Lee's Palace. I did all those things I outlined above. I even took notes about some of their tunes, like "Crooked Tooth" and "Cry Baby". Now that I've seen the band a few more times and have become a big fan of their introspective yet relatable, hook filled yet unique, infectious yet fun power pop tunes, I have to admit my oversight and publish these pics for your enjoyment.
And check out some tunes from this great band, and don't miss them next time they're playing a show near you.
