Friday was the start of Summerworks Music Series at the Lower Ossington Theatre near Queen and Ossington. The tiered seating was separated from the low stage by several metres of empty floor, as if the typically reserved Toronto crowd needed any more reason to hang back. Finally, some people decided to sit cross-legged closer to the stage. A slightly more intimate set-up, and appropriate for the laid-back opening act.
First up was
Steven McKay, drummer for Bruce Peninsula, straight from his cousin's wedding. For his solo effort, he played a skillful guitar with a 3-piece band comprising of an upright bassist and another guitarist. In between shaggy-dog banter, he sang witty pop songs with a slight jazz feel. Refreshingly free of love songs, except for a
waiting-at-the-train-station song, he sang about snotty French Immersion students, old decaying buildings, and inveterate liars. A fair number of them were tinged with
regret and introspection, seems like Steven has reached that age where he might not think of himself as old, but realizes that his high school days were a decade or two behind him. This melancholy might have been lost on the young crowd, a great number of whom may not yet be of legal drinking age.
If Steven's act was low-key, then the headlining act was over-the-top energetic. Hooded Fang saw their 2010 debut long-listed for the Polaris prize. Less than a year later, they have just released their 2nd effort:
Tosta Mista, a lo-fi record that's perfect for the summer. Their music has changed from a glockenspiel, horns and twee-cute image to a rougher, edgier sound. The horns and glock are still there, but in service to a go-go
ESP; an Iggy Pop-ish
Jubb; and a 50s sock-hop
Den of Love. Whether it's "old" or "new" material, every song is danceable. That finally got the crowd to stand up, pack closer to the stage and boogie down.
The excellent set got the satisfied audience to clamor for an encore. It sounded like Hooded Fang may be changing their sound again because they played a brand-new song that was full of anthemic guitar hooks and thumping bass. It was a fun show for a muggy night.
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