Don't Entertain Us

As part of this year's Canadian Music Week, In Bloom hosted a charity concert at the Great Hall on Tuesday. "Come As You Are" had local bands play Nirvana covers, on the 20th anniversity of Kurt Cobain's suicide, with the proceeds going to teen mental health initiatives.

The evening started with slow-burning numbers (Scoff, Polly) as sung by Queen of the Fleet and Kathleen Munroe. Abstract Random switched things up with a hip-hopified Love Buzz. Considering that 3 women singers fronted Nirvana's performance at the recent Hall of Fame induction, so it's interesting that the majority of artists tonight were also women. But there were male bands too (Wild Life, Biblical), who as a group tended to the more raucous songs (Smells Like Teen Spirit, School). Not too be out-done, all-female "cock-rock" cover band Vag Halen also brought the fire and fury. But my favourite number was a slower, but equally intense and noisy, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle sung by Julie Fader and accompanied by Carmen-elle (Diana, Army Girls) and Fresh Snow (wearing Pussy Riot balaclavas).

It was an odd concert. The performances were for the most part excellent. But each set-up and tear-down, with some clocking in at 15 minutes, meant that the evening seemed to drag interminably. There was no momentum or energy to the show. They should have stuck to one or two "house band" with a changing list of singers to keep things moving. Not surprisingly, unlike a typical concert, the audience shrank as the "big headliners" made their appearances.