Hot Pocket

With a rare November snowstorm and cold snap this week, I've been cocooning at home since Monday and bailing on several shows. But Friday night, I decided I needed a change and made my way to Lee's Palace.

It was already about 3/4 full for the first opener Grizzly Coast. It was a standard indie-band setup and sound, though there were some interesting lyrics (High Functioning, Zuzu's Petals). But I couldn't concentrate on them because the lead vocals was off-key. If her lower register wasn't in tune I would have entertained the wild idea that the sound engineer was pranking them by feeding a slightly off-pitch vocal track through her monitor.

The highlight of the evening was Begonia. Fronted by Alexa Dirks with aplomb and charm, it was the balladry of Adele meet the sing-rap phrasing of Lizzo. She already had some fans, both Manitobans and non, but Dirks converted the entire room from the first number The Light. After a couple of catchy songs, she cemented it with Hot Dog Stand, an anti-love long referencing Smoke'n Bob's in downtown Winnipeg. This Toronto show was augmented by the harmonies of Jill Harris and Meg Contini (The O'Pears) on a few songs; both Living At The Ceiling and The Beats were gems. From barn-burner Fear to the closing Out of My Head, Begonia got the crowd to cheer, stomp, and demand an (non-existent) encore.

This was the biggest show for local band Fast Romantics so they brought extra stage lights. It was a good fit for them, as their songs tend toward Arcade Fire-esque anthems and sing-alongs from Everybody's Trying to Steal Your Heart to Get Loved. Sometimes the lyrics can be a bit grandiose and bombastic. It was a strange crowd though: there in full number, yet rather passive (compared to their shows at The Horseshoe) except for near the front. Perhaps the promoter, radio Indie88, got some people curious. But there were obviously fans who knew the lyrics all around me. The next year feels big for them: with several years together and being a sizeable group, they need to break through to the next level of mainstream popularity.