I have seen Ben Caplan twice in solo mode where he engages an unfamiliar audience with his out-sized personality and folksy songs. Thursday night was no different. He might have opened the night to a fairly empty room (except for the phalanx of photographers taking advantage of the roominess for some NXNE photos), but halfway through the set, the crowd has materialized and eager to join in the fun. Despite the abbreviated timeslot at NXNE, he was still able to ad-lib funny banter and sing-a-longs. His secret weapon for tonight was a complete band (the Casual Smokers) comprising mostly of local musicians (upright bass, clarinet, violin) but also his drummer from Halifax. What a wonderful experience his songs were with full instrumentation: lively, rich, and infectious.
The Bright Light Social Hour blew me away at a Canadian Music Week early set and I was eager to hear them close out the night. With the 2 am set, only about 50-60 people stuck around: a surprisingly number of which were already fans, the rest were friends being dragged along and a few night-owls. We were in for a sweat-soaked, dancing good time: blistering guitar, funky bass, towering vocals, and monster drums. This was 70s-inspired funk meets Led Zeppelin with Shanty, Back and Forth, and Detroit. They ended the night with a pedal-to-the-medal Young Man Blues (Mose Allison/The Who) that left the crowd grinning ear-to-ear.
The rest of the bill was nowhere near as good though Hooded Fang fared best. They had a rather large crowd for a 10 pm slot, probably because of the various best bets from the alt-weeklies and blogs. But these recommendations are dated because Hooded Fang, down permanently to 4 members, have moved away from their multi-layered sunny pop to a grungier, lo-fi sound. In fact, since I saw them last, they have gone even noisier than the 60s surf-rock sound of their sophomore album. They won't win as many converts with this new sound but there were a few people looking for merchandise after the set. Even in this strip-down set-up, it's usually their catchy hooks that engages the crowd.
And now, the rest of the night. I've heard that P.S. I Love You was loud, and they were. But I felt no energy from their set. Unknown Mortal Orchestra also dragged with their long jammy effort. The capacity crowd certainly enjoyed the 1 am set of Bran Van 3000. But even with the spectacle of confetti, balloons, and singing to familiar 90s hit, how could they ignore the sloppiness of a few songs? Or the female vocalist who sang off-key for almost the entire set? Those 3 hours really tested my resolve and patience.
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