Electric Circus

Having been at the Sarah Harmer concert Saturday night, I did not get a chance to see opener Miss Elizabeth for a show with electronica acts at the Garrison. But talking with an early attendee, it was clear they were still doing the same high reverb atmospheric dance that they did last time. This is an acquired taste which apparently not many people acquired.

The same can be said of the next act Dark Ages. With the singer being big, heavily tattoed, and wearing a black luche libre/executioner's mask, I was expecting some NIN/metal-electronic hybrid. Yes, there was the beat-heavy electronic tracks, that grew tedious after a while, and not enlivened much by the guitarist. As for the singer, he had a rather girlish, higher pitched voice which was an odd contrast. But there wasn't much lyrical content, just some looped vocalizations.

Parallels was less avant-garde but more enjoyable. They played an updated 80s dance-pop with an enthusiastic drummer, a keyboardist, and a female vocalist. Finally, the crowd started dancing. This should be the minimal requirement for any electronica band before they attempt anything else. Though way before their time, they ran through a fun cover of Gowan's Moonlight Desire.

The headliner Digits is originally from Toronto, but currently resides in Berlin. However, it has been a long day for me and I decided to call it a night.