Unhappy Returns

On Tuesday night, I went to The Horseshoe for a live show. It was almost packed though it was not the week-end. Both New Zealand acts were disappointing to me but for different reasons. It's been almost 4 years since band Tiny Ruins played twice in Toronto in 2014. Given the distances, I never expected them to be back. This was a shame since they were one of my favourite discoveries, anchored by Holly Fullbrook's delicate songs.

I didn't realize it was an early start for Fullbrook's solo set until I was out the door. I arrived as she was more than halfway through her set. But the disappointment I felt faded away in the noisy crowd. Her sonic gems were being drowned by the chatter so I wouldn't have enjoyed it anyway. In fact, a couple who were Tiny Ruins fans were visibly angry. I felt bad for another fan attending her first show after discovering her on Spotify.

Obviously then, the majority were here for Marlon Williams. I used to wait for the show to experience an artist for the first time. Nowadays, I cheat a little as I listen to some of their music online first. I really enjoyed Williams retro vibe: smooth falsetto alternating with a crooner's tenor, over 50s-style love songs. A recording usually seems anemic in comparison to the full blast of a live show. But it was the opposite with Williams' numbers. Maybe it was the sound mix tonight or a 4-member touring band can't reproduced the same multi-layered sounds. But the set sounded thin and I quickly grew bored of that retro touch. I did enjoy a true oldie though: his cover of Yoko Ono's Nobody Sees Me Like You Do.