Live and Let Fly

The last time I went to Toronto specifically for a concert was a hit-and-miss U.S. Girls show. On Friday, I was at another, though I did combine other activities like a dental visit and Christmas shopping. Well, the $20 concert at the Baby G was absolutely terrific.

Except for old-timers like me, every 5 years or so I notice a new, young crowd at small venues. But they all seem to always like being fashionably late. So Baby G was still empty at 9 and around half-full at 9:45. There was a smattering of older folks who were here because they had read about the circumstances surrounding the headliner's latest album. The opener was poet Aisha Sasha John who started with new poems (some written only in the last few weeks) about dementia and meditation but eventually concentrated on her recently published collection called Total. At these events, you usually hear the typical cadence of word poetry. But Aisha's free-form verses lent themselves to natural speech. Still, I wasn't sure if the up-speak rhythm was deliberate or an affectation.

Carly Bezic was fun as the duo Ice Cream but she really hit her stride being the art-pop solo act Jane Inc. She was also terrific on bass/vocals of the female incarnation of the U.S. Girls tour band for 2020. It was on a 2023 tour with U.S. Girls as the opener that was a catalyst for the new album A Rupture A Canyon A Birth. Bezic's van was rear-ended by a semi. Then followed operations for cancer on her vocal cords, diagnosis of Crohn's disease, and the break-up of 10-year relationship.

The album, which was Jane Inc.'s entire set, wasn't a sombre reflection on the fleeting randomness of life, though there were pensive lyrics. It was a celebration of second chances. Bezic shedded all high-concept aesthetic for danceable bangers starting with reborn (On The Dancefloor) followed by tracks like elastic, freefall and i'm alive!!! When she picked up her guitar half-way through, some art-pop vibes did appear. If the modern musical scene wasn't fragmented, Bezic's closer "what if" with its thumping piano and repeating refrain "I! want! more!" deserve to be a radio hit. When a capacity crowd in Toronto actually danced through your set, you got some great songs.

Jane Inc's new music would go so hard with a full band. Yet I appreciated that it was mostly pre-recorded tracks and live synth from Bezic's co-producer (and new partner) Edwin de Goeij and backing vocals from Felicity Williams and Dorothea Paas. With no amps on stage to muddy the sound, this was one of the clearest-sounding show I've been too. For such a great evening, I shelled out $60 for the new vinyl and a t-shirt.