Dr. Dog

Have you ever been to a show so good that the band’s energy exuded through every limb of your body? On Wednesday, April 14th, Dr. Dog performed at Lee’s Palace in support of their latest record, Shame, Shame, released earlier this month.

The band started off with Shame, Shame’s opener “Stranger” with bassist Toby Leaman leading the vocals. Guitarist Scott McMicken, donned in his signature plastic sunglasses and toque, continued with more songs from Shame, Shame and a handful of old favourites from the band’s previous records – Toothbrush (2002), We All Belong (2007), and Fate (2008).

Without much chatter from the band, except after “Unbearable Why”, another Shame, Shame tune, singer and guitarist McMicken added, “We haven’t played that one live before… I don’t think”. Every single song was performed loudly and pitch-perfectly. For a band that sounds so mellow on record, Dr. Dog sure knows how to rock out on stage, accentuated with an insane, blinding light show.

For the band’s encore, Dr. Dog kicked it off with “Jackie Wants a Black Eye” that immediately prompted heartfelt and fist-pumping choruses from the audience singing along to “We’re all in it together now/ as we all fall apart/ We’re swapping little pieces/ of our broken little hearts”. In the end, the boys from Philadelphia left us all gleeful, satiated, and desperate for more as our hearts echoed Dr. Dog’s rapturous music.