Fort York

I headed to the St. Lawrence Market area Wednesday night to catch some live music at C'est What. The small stage looked like someone's living room complete with fireplace.

First up was Noel Johnson, a songwriter originally from Calgary. He sang mostly from his upcoming album including Extraordinary, Hello Wonderful, and The Remedy (with a mash-up intro of Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl). His band and himself played competent music. But it was radio-friendly Cancon material where every song had the same pacing and arrangement and didn't leave much of an impression.

In contrast to Johnson's laid-back style, Brandi Sydorik and her band Sidney York were all about excited and exuberant playing, evidenced by all the clapping and hopping around on stage. Songs from her two albums like Math and Fraction, Doctor Doctor, and Mile High Love straddled the line between sunny and pouty pop that can't help but make the audience happy. When people start going over to the merch table in the middle of your set, you've got some great tunes. Songs from her to-be-released album Hearts were more eclectic: from rocking Tear It Up, to synth-dance Electro Love, and atmospheric psych rock I Could Swim. With a large collection of instruments including ukelele, french horn, oboe, bassoon, there was interesting texture to both her old and new music.