[...music...]

2007-10-06

my only popmontreal show this year. i went alone. it was stupid of me to have missed the bus, getting there later than planned. i did not get a good spot...

bishi was the opening act. a solo artist, singing and playing the sitar ontop of pre-recorded tracks. she wore the strangest dress that i had ever seen, with horns at the shoulders.

bishi rocking out on the sitar:

i was very excited to be seeing patrick wolf live, ever since falling in love with his previous album "wind in the wires". he's such a pretty-boy, cute and adorable, prancing around on stage. he wore a military-styled jacket, a dress shirt with a ruffle trim, cut-off shorts, knee-high socks, black&white dress shoes. and glitter. cute outfit. combined with his usual haircut, there was something school-boy-ish about his look.

as much as i hate to, i used the flash:

he switched between instruments: violin, ukulele, keyboard. he also had a full band: violinist, bassist, drummer, and a guy at the laptop for sound effects. i tried to take a picture:

patrick wolf on the keyboard, in the spotlight:

i've not really kept track of the setlist. let's see what songs i remember.

from the debut album "lycanthropy", there was "paris".

from "wind in the wires":
- the libertine
- wind in the wires
- jacobs ladder
- tristan

from the most recent "the magic position":
- accident & emergency
- the bluebell / bluebells
- the stars

i loved that he played the songs differently than on disc. "the libertine" is my favourite song of his. when he played that song, he introduced it by telling us about how the gypsies are being driven out of london, because of the olympics. and then he played the song in a gypsy style, and i freaked out (inside) and danced. that song got me all giddy. (and all pepped for the gogol bordello show, next week.)

during the encore, he first played "pigeon song", changing the opening lyrics to "montreal, why did you take my child away". haha. the second song was "magpie", and bishi came back onstage to sing the marianne faithfull lines.

at this point, i was slightly worried at how bad my memory is, since i couldn't remember if they played "the magic position". had i tuned out? then, they returned for a second encore, to play the cheerful "magic position". yay! patrick wolf had taken off his shirt, his chest sparkling aquamarine. i am convinced that this man was born with glitter permanently on his skin; he had it everywhere!

during the outro of "the magic position", he introduced all the members of his band onstage. a couple of girls at the front handed him a present: a case wrapped in party ribbons. as he took the gift, he asked: "it's not a bomb inside, is it?" haha.

overall, an amazing show, despite standing in a less-than-perfect spot. also, i found the set to be a too short. i hope he comes to montreal again; i will not miss it.

(in fact, the show ended so early, i probably should have gone to the main hall to catch ted leo's set, supposedly starting at midnight, according to the popmontreal schedule. but i went home instead...)

~~~

cd purchase: i got bishi's "never seen your face: the mixes", since she was at the merch booth, and i asked for an autograph.

hearing damage: none. it's not that kind of show.

~~~

Labels: bishi, cabaret music hall, cd purchase, patrick wolf, popmontreal, shows

2006-06-09

spinto band @ cabaret music hall

i had not planned on going to the show, on wednesday night. then, some people at school were going, so i went along. a typical indie show with a typical indie crowd.

the first band started their set by holding up cardboards that said tokyo police club. i quite enjoyed their songs, kind of dance-y. too bad their set was so short.

next were the lovely feathers. they were my favourite of the night. the crowd's favourite too. they were really good on stage, and had good interaction with the audience. clearly, the crowd loved them. maybe because they're from montreal. or maybe just because their set was so much fun. and their keyboardist was dressed in some kind of "lovely feathers" superhero costume or something; weird but funny...

finally, the spinto band. i felt a bit bad for them since so many people left after the lovely feathers. judging from the crowd's reaction, the spinto band should have been opening for the lovely feathers, and not the other way around. oh well. they had some nice songs.

~~~

cd purchases:
tokyo police club - a lesson in crime
lovely feathers - hind hind legs
spinto band - nice and nicely done

hearing damage: a little, only because i was standing right next to the speaker during the lovely feathers' set.

~~~

Labels: cabaret music hall, cd purchase, shows, the lovely feathers, the spinto band, tokyo police club