Live Review Lovesick (Reverb, Toronto)

Live Review Lovesick (Reverb, Toronto)

February 21st 2003

Review by Meghann

With a night toted as being a holy pilgrimage for The Birthday Massacre fans from the far reaches of Canada and the United States, I?ve got a pretty easy job of informing you who the shooting stars of this event were. But with a well organized, all ages event, with an interesting angle of incorporating electronic DJ?s into a show that primarily showcased a more pop-focused breed of music, I can still lament on other high points of the night.

Toronto-based artists Tepid Lust started the night off with a pretty stellar debut show. Tipping their hats to musical influences such as Tricky and Portishead, they have managed to breed a nice mixture of trip-hop and darker rock material. General consensus, people were very impressed by front man OE?s (drummer for TBM) rich and varied vocal stylings, along with some more sophisticated instrumentation that made for one very nice, downbeat musical package. I?d really like to procure some lyrics from this material, and definitely encourage everyone to go a bit off the beaten path and check them out soon.

Stepping up next was one of my personal favourites, Universal Love Attack, who always manage to maintain a stellar stage presence at shows. Although I don?t really care for the extensive intro?s they are accustomed to doing before songs (which detract from their well-composed material), they managed to cut it down a bit for the evening, with their setlist mainly comprised of their more popular, upbeat tunes (omitting a lot of their more ballad-based tracks). As per usual, everyone seemed moist as soon as they covered Blue Oyster Cult?s?Don?t Fear The Reaper? which now seems to be a popular, permanent fixture of their live performance. By far, the most glamorous and fun contribution of the night.

Next was daring the sardine-packed front of the Reverb for The Birthday Massacres set. Watching the band amidst a gaping-jaw sea of teenagers watching the band for the first time, I?ve realized just how much these artists have progressed in the last year and a half, since I was first exposed to them. Their stage performance has improved by a milestone, with front gal Chibi now seemingly more comfortable in the spotlight, as the band start playing more and more high profile shows. Although I?ve always thought that the bands material has sounded better in venues other than the Reverb (Lee?s Palace and strangely Kathedral being the best, if memory serves me correctly), they had a strong set of material off the Nothing and Nowhere release, and threw in three new crowd-pleasing tracks into the mix. I haven?t really deciphered what my feelings are with concerns to Lover?s End yet (but I do think that it shows the progression of their programming, and exhibits a strong vocal chorus), and I really enjoyed the Duran Duran feel of Violet, and the upbeat Nevermind, and am looking forward to hearing the recorded versions. Set proved that lots more wonderful things are in store for this band.

Sylvania was next in line. Although I?m not sure what to make of this band yet, I am nonetheless addicted to their live performances. They seem to encapsulate the whole?space age glam noir? element very well, all exhibiting a great rock?n? roll persona. Lead singer Daniel?s vocals carry off an identical range to Brett Anderson of Suede?s, with a sometimes eerie, androgynous presence I really enjoy. Although I?m not sure what my feelings are towards their recorded material (although I?ve heard little of it, so I can?t pass immediate judgment), I strongly suggest everyone check out their stage show.

Procon, the last artists to grace the stage, were unfortunately a bit sub par, after a night of more pop-geared artists with strong stage shows. In the true tradition of more electronic based acts, a lot interest can?t be stimulated from a live venue show. I will admit, they had some strong vocal elements, but much like the electronic DJ?s forum in the downstairs of the Reverb, the target audience of the night wasn?t present to see that sort of genre crossover at the event. A valiant effort however, to incorporate different styling into an event.

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