Adieu (Bizou Bizou)

Friday night at The Great Hall, local indie band Ohbijou  played their last show before going on "indefinite hiatus". Though they never found wider recognition, the band had enough fans and friends to sell out the 500-capacity venue. It was an early start too, as they wanted to do two sets.

So Casey and Jennifer Mecija and the rest of the 7-piece band took to the stage at 9:30 and started with Niagara off their latest album Metal Meets. This was a piece illustrative of their style: lushly layered, sometimes elegiac, with short fragmentary lyrics. Being well-connected in the Toronto indie community, including their Friends In Bellwoods charity collaborations, a parade of members from other bands came on to sing with Ohbijou during their two sets: Gentleman Reg, Evening Hymns, Rural Alberta Advantage, Wooden Sky, Snowblink, The Acorn, Diamond Rings, Kat Burns (Kashka, Forest City Lovers),  and Lisa Bozikovic.

These same friends also had the middle set, to individually cover Ohbijou tunes, while the band cheered from the side balcony. Most took the acoustic guitar route, a natural fit to the music while others went a bit more experimental. James Bunton, Ohbijou's drummer, took the opportunity before each performance to talk about how the connection was initially made between the band and the current guest artists.

By the tail end of the 3rd set, only about 100 or so die-hard fans were left. But Casey did have a couple of anthemic songs up her sleeve: pulsing drums, guitar feedback, chants and choruses. They were happy to sing along, and to emphatically demand an encore. After the final 2 songs, accompanied by all the performers, it was time for bows and hugs.