Be Art Her

On Saturday, I was at Handlebar for 2 female-fronted bands who were unexpectedly surprising in different ways. This place is perhaps one of true dive bars left in Toronto if we go by the state and graffiti-evidence of the washroom. It, and the venue The Boat across the street, both cater to a younger crowd.

With the entire band in glitter make-up, and lead singer/guitarist Hannah Bussiere wearing a full sparkling outfit, it was expected that Luna Li would play some dreamy, slightly twee, indie pop. There was some of that with songs like Silver Into Rain, and especially when Bussiere did a solo turn where she layered both guitar and violin riffs. But they also book-ended their set with some hard-driving numbers. This material perhaps hint at a more propulsive direction for them.

Parisian band Halo Maud drove all day from Québec to end their World Tour here in Toronto. It must be slightly odd to play a much larger venue in Montréal a few days ago to doing a set in a small, seedy bar tonight. But they played an impressive set that got several converts lining up for some merch after the show. With her sharp cheek-bones and equally sharp vocal attack to the end of some words, Maud Nadal reminded me of Olivia Merilahti (The Dø). Her simply structured lyrics (both French and English) was reminiscent of some 60s French singers like Christophe. She also showcased a nice variety of guitar techniques. But sometimes Halo Maud would segue from an ethereal sound into an extended prog-rock sonic jam back-ended by their powerful, technical drummer.