Hot Fire Below

With a nippy December Saturday evening outside, I debated if I should simply stay home. But I finally got enough impetus to bundle up and headed to Longboat Hall, the basement venue of The Great Hall. It turned out to be a good decision because it was a rare show where all the performers were excellent. It was also due to the venue, which at least for tonight, had a great mix on their sound system.

In fact, I only caught the final EDM song of Armen Bazarian. But it was catchy enough that I wished I had arrived sooner. It was only the 3rd live show for Acapulco Gold. With their brown suits, suspenders, and mustaches, I suspected I'd knew their sound. Yup, once they started their set, the 70s Fleetwood Mac folk-rock aesthetic was enjoyable. I loved it best when the leads harmonized wistfully on numbers like Sunset and How To Get To You. Unsurprisingly, they ended with a lovely cover of Bobby Charles' I Must Be In a Good Place Now from 1972.

What a revelation the band For Jane made on me. I saw them earlier this year, but the weak set-up at The Monarch Tavern didn't do them justice. They played hook-friendly power-pop that got the crowd dancing throughout their set. It seemed to be mostly new material that was a departure from the quirky, DIY vibe of their EP Married With Dogs. Natalie Panacci usually sang lead but sometimes Julia Wittmann stopped crafting catchy riffs on her guitar to do vocals. The groovy bass lines kept everything tight. They also played a 70s cover: Blondie's Heart of Glass.

Nyssa almost never speaks during her set. Tonight, she made a small speech halfway through thanking the audience for giving her a chance to do her most favourite thing in the world: performing on stage. It was obvious as she prowled around, being some combination of Elvis and Lou Reed, that she loved being up there. The great sound tonight highlighted how many of her songs (#1 Girl, Cowboy) were dance bangers. But she also had long story-telling numbers (Hey Jackie, Misty Morning). Often as Nyssa stood there posing, the spotlight lit her up dramatically highlighting her ash-blond shade, silver glitter make-up, and white patent shoes. Her Christmas covers were also left-field but compelling: Nick Lowe's Lately I've Let Things Slide and The Replacements' Can't Hardly Wait.

The between-sets music tend to be forgettable background played by the sound engineer. But tonight, it was fun and high-energy due to the DJ Pat O'Brien of funky band Jaunt. It was no surprise then that the mostly retro songs were high on groovy bass, punchy horns, and snappy guitars.