Love In A Hopeless Palace

Thursday night, a trio of acts entertained a low-key Valentine's Day crowd at Lee's Palace. Bryce Jardine came on at 9:15. With a full band including 2 back-up singers, he played the sort of earnest, lightly paced pop that doesn't leave much impression.

The Most Loyals had more impact. Ranging from blue-grass (Poor Bruce), to country (What I learned from a poet), to a few songs with a heavier rock beat (I Have The Power), their 3-part harmonies got people clapping and stomping. Their specialty was slow, hurting songs that often repeated a phrase, giving them a traditional folk feel. But the crowd was undetered, and several slow dances took place.

It had thinned out a bit by the time Olenka and the Autumn Lovers came on stage, an excellent band from London who doesn't play Toronto too often. They played new material from their Hard Times EP (Hard Times, Don't Make Sense, Only Arms) which continued the quiet, despairing, country mood. Their older material were faster and often had Eastern European flavour including Go and Odessa. Olenka's songs often had odd time signatures and were augmented by a drummer who added jazz riffs and fills. They dedicated Flash In The Pan to two fans who had the song stuck in their heads. The set ended with two rock numbers Sparrow and Clean. For a quick encore, Olenka did a fun cover of Fleetwood Mac's You Make Loving Fun.