Point of pride

After the thrills and spills of Kelp's 16th anniversary, I had a quiet week (except of course for those giant explosions on Victoria Day), then went off to Zaphod's for a rare Tuesday show with The Darcys and Kalle Mattson. I missed almost all of openers Life In 2D, but was quite surprised by the huge crowd of pals they convinced to show up. Well, on to the Darcys - as it happens, they were the last band I saw at Zaphod's before this gig. They still don't make me think of Neil Young, and also made me think even less of Thom Yorke - maybe that's just the effect of a long tour on singer Jason Couse's voice.

The Darcys consult.



Dave Hurlow contemplates.



Jason whacks his guitar while plaing the keyboard.



A shouty bit with Michael le Riche.



And now on to the guitars.



Michael sings'n'squints.



Wes Marskell mans the traps.



Tambourine action!



Jason sits back down, Dave gets on up.



More keyboards!



Rhythm section action!



Stringed action!



More of the same, now with fisheye.



The whole fisheyed lot.



And some last-minute pushing and shoving!



They're releasing their new 7-inch in Toronto tonight.

• Show reminder: It's pizza party time at nIXne - or however it's supposed to be spelled - with The Famines and Get A Life Losers; Ryan Bourne and You Yourself and I perform at Raw Sugar; Jesse Dangerously, Brzowski and H.W. keep it real, or at least amusing, at Zaphod Beeblebrox; The Blues Buggers want to be your backdoor man at The Elmdale.

Make 'em sweat

I popped over to Zaphod's last night to check out Kalle Mattson, The Darcys and Life In 2D last night and was quite surprised to find a big crowd there. Did the two better-known bands suddenly become big enough to attract 100 people to Zaphod's on a Tuesday? Is Zaphod's air-conditioning that good?!? Was it because of Towel Day? Well, no and no and no. Not to slight the bands, the AC, or the inflatable dolphins, it turns out that Life In 2D has a lot of friends and they apparently all turned out to watch. There was noticeable audience shrinkage as the night progressed. I actually missed about 97% of LI2D's set, so I won't comment on them ... let's just go straight to The Darcys.

The Darcys are just returning from a big tour out west ... and if you've been following along at home you know they were here just last month. Once again, they were energetic and shoegazy. Also they had vests.


The Darcys at Zaphod Beeblebrox, May 25, 2010

Kalle Mattson finished things off. The audience was down to a couple dozen, but they were quite enthusiastic about the set. I think the band may have invested in a few more effects pedals since I saw them last - they were certainly more raucous. Maybe it's all the touring they've been doing.


Kalle Mattson at Zaphod Beeblebrox, May 25, 2010

A pleasant way to spend a few hours - definitely a lot more pleasant than my un-cooled apartment.

• Show reminder: Everlea and The Autumn are at Zaphod's; Mama Cat, Rottaway and Monic rock The Rainbow; Howard Rent A Car is at the Elmdale House.

Call them mister

The Darcys rounded the night off with a very credible shoegaze turn. They've been followed across the country by a quote from The Toronto Star that declares they sound like Thom Yorke backed by Neil Young's band. Couse does indeed sound a wee bit like Yorke, but I'm not sure I get the Young connection, even though both often tend to a degree of fuzziness. Anyway, I liked them a lot, and admire their active stage show.

Starting things off, rhythm section extraordinaire Wes Marskell on drums and Dave Hurlow on bass.



And the band's two guitarists, Michael le Riche and newly minted singer (replacing Kirby Best) Jason Couse.



Jason works the microphone.



Drummer Wes; the band likes the facial hair.



The whole Lot! I hear the band likes to dress up a bit ... sometimes vests are involved.



Michael on the keys.



Both Michael and Jason have well-stocked pedalboards.



Tambourine action!



Singalong action!



Dave rocks the Ric.



More Michael!



Faceoff action!



Guitar action!



A whole lotta bendin' goin' on.



Jaguar action!



The fisheye-lovin' end!



They'll be back at Zaphod's quite soon, May 25 to be precise, with a show at The Canteen's Bands Undone shindig the day before.

• Show reminder: It's a surprisingly busy Sunday with The Flatliners, Broadway Calls, Cobra Skulls at Mavericks; hotly tipped rockers Yukon Blonde, Old Crowns and Fire and Neon at Cafe Dekcuf; Yoav, Colin Moore and Nothing play the The Live Lounge; The Elmdale hosts The Elementals, Old Whiskey Road and Josh Taerk.

Good Friday

It was a lovely day to go out, and an equally nice night. Plenty of folks were walking the streets in their club wear, and a few of them, like myself made their way to Zaphod's for a night of vaguely shoe-gazing music on a bill put together by i(heart)music. The headliners were The Darcys, up from Toronto, with a couple of local bands opening up.

First, Those Gulls, who had something of a loud-quiet dynamic going on for the few songs I caught, supplemented with violin, along with a bit of a post-punk feel.


Those Gulls at Zaphod Beeblebrox, April 2, 2010

It seems like a dog's age since I last saw The City Above. I saw them on bills with Fucked Corpse and Daiquiri (they were definitely the odd man out on that one) and Acres (a better fit) at the begiining and end of 2007. They were once again without a bassist, and once again reminded me a lot of Failure. Something about Ross Henwood's deadpan phrasing is a ringer for Failure's Ken Andrews.


The City Above at Zaphod Beeblebrox, April 2, 2010

The Darcys like their shoegaze to buzz along under yearning vocals (they've garnered a Thom Yorke comparison, which I can sort of hear) and have a very energetic stage presence.


The Darcys at Zaphod Beeblebrox, April 2, 2010

It was a fine and fuzzy evening.

• Show reminder: I probably don't have to tell anyone that Dead Kennedy frontman Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, Porcelain Forehead and Klovenhoofs are at Mavericks; Peach Kelli Pop releases her new video at Babylon, with The Girlfriends rounding out the bill; The Pocket Trio, Dancehall Free For All, DNA, The Jack Fiends and Hot Damn are at Club SAW; Oceans, Old Crowns and The Panama perform at Zaphod's; Rusted Dawn, Fatality, Insides Out and Destroyer Scene turn up the volume at Cafe Dekcuf; My Tiny Circus lounges about at Irene's; Jack de Keyzer is at the Rainbow Bistro; The Chislers and The Backsliders perform at the Elmdale House Tavern.