Photo By Frank Yang (Chromewaves)

I never understood why the trend of cupcakes at rock shows didn’t catch on with more bands. Darrelle London did it for her CD release last year at the Supermarket and now she’s best friends with Perez Hilton. So I have high hopes for the Ashton Kutcher-approved Forest City Lovers. In short – bands should always bake cupcakes for their CD release parties. That aside, the Toronto five-piece – a six-piece Thursday night with the addition of a second violinist – didn’t actually need baked goods to delivery a sweet performance.

Decorating the spacious Great Hall with streamers of delicately draped strings of white lace, the stage’s whimsical and adorable setting matched the band’s charming melodies. There’s a sense of confidence that really put an extra oomph into the band’s sound, making it sound grander than before. Lead singer Kat Burn’s voice shined as her playful but strong voice echoed through the hall. The last time I saw the band, they were sans violinist which led to a more rock-centric thump to their songs but with not one but two violinists, as mentioned, we were able to hear the sweeping mood swings of each song. The prominence of the strings also heightened everything else; the drums were  more striking, the guitar were tip toeing around the melodies more loudly and again Burns’ voice was definitely more dynamic. Songs like “If I Were A Tree” and “Tell Me, Cancer”, both off their newest release Carriage, proved to be optimistic anthems that the crowd happily swayed and danced along to.

If the success of this show was any indication, I’m afraid they’ll need more cupcakes for future shows. I’d gladly pitch in and help.

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