Breakfast and Tiff

On Wednesday, I was at The Phoenix Concert Theatre for Japanese Breakfast. First up was Mothers. They had two round projections that played looping videos during their set. It was a combination of soft, hypnotic pop and (sloppy) math rock. I couldn't get into their music but there were some people around me in the packed venue who were obviously fans.

Michelle Zauner probably remembers Toronto quite well. The Phoenix (cap. 800) is likely her biggest sold-out venue on this head-lining tour. It was upgraded from the original Lee's Palace after tickets quickly sell out. Her previous visits were at smaller bars including The Horseshoe and The Garrison. And her 3-day residence at the defunct Silver Dollar made a big impression on her, if not in a good way. She continued to throw shade, equal parts affection and exasperation, about that experience. This time we learn that Vlad, the sound engineer, threw a chair at promoter Dan Burke.

Japanese Breakfast plays catchy indie pop, with hooks to keep you bopping but introspective lyrics to satisfy the disaffected outsider aesthetic. Zauner has a strained singing style, as if she's always singing with a constricted throat. In a self-described "Animorph" dress, she is much more assured now and often ditched her guitar to roam the stage. The audience loved both old hits (Everybody Wants to Love You) and newer tunes (Boyish). Like her former tour-mate Mitski, Zauner is poised to play even bigger venues next time around.