Bahamas @ Lee's Palace (Photo Credit: Michael Fil)

Jason Collett, Zeus, Bahamas @ Lee’s

Wednesday night’s Bonfire Ball featuring Jason Collett, Zeus and Bahamas was pretty much the equivalent of watching all your awesome uncles rockin’ it at a family reunion – but probably fifty times cooler.

This three-hour, 44-song marathon – with the exception of one intermission – was gruelling on the feet but entirely worth dancing your way through the whirlwind setlist that bounced back and fourth between all three acts.

This being Jason Collett’s show though, the set did rule more in his favour where Collett played a fantastically balanced list of songs from his entire discography of work – including crowd favourites “Charlyn, Angel of Kensington” and “I’ll Bring the Sun” as well as tunes from his latest release Rat A Tat Tat.

Zeus and Bahamas also brought an equal amount of energy and fun to the stage though, performing songs from both their latest releases as well. Bahamas, as per usual, fed off the crowd’s energy and benefited most from having a full band back him as he’s often solo or just accompanied by a drummer. Zeus suffered most, sound-wise – crazy sound mixing, especially on the loud keyboards – but even so, played an extremely entertaining set of upbeat set that got the crowd screaming and dancing.

Highlight of the night must’ve been the collective cover of Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” – surprising, humorous yet one of the most amazing things I’ve seen this whole festival.

Three hours worth of rockin’, folkin’ good times simultaneously wiped me out early in the week and pumped me up for the days to come.

MySpace (Jason Collett): http://www.myspace.com/jasoncollett
MySpace (Zeus): http://www.myspace.com/themusicofzeus
MySpace: (Bahamas): http://www.myspace.com/bahamasbreeze

- ML

Fucked Up @ El Mocambo

Before his band even picked up their instruments, Fucked Up frontman Damian Abraham had a small matter of business to attend to. With guitarist Ben Cook holding up a copy of NOW Magazine with a cover reading “East End Sucks”, the typically-outspoken  Abraham told the crowd that he couldn’t disagree with the headline more (he’s from Riverdale), while Cook tore the magazine to shreds. This display received a mixed reaction from the decent-sized crowd at the decidedly West End venue, many of whom were there because a) they thought Vivian Girls (playing at Wrongbar) weren’t punk enough, b) they thought Jason Collett and company (playing at Lee’s) weren’t rock enough, or like myself, c) they didn’t want to trek halfway across the city for a Wednesday night show.

Make no mistake though, regional jokes aside, Fucked Up are an unabashedly Toronto band. Last year they continued to make their mark on the Canadian music scene, riding the success from their incredibly well-received sophomore album, The Chemistry Of Common Life, all the way to the 2009 Polaris Prize shortlist, surprising many by taking the award in the end. De facto leader Abraham also took on an eye-raising job as a correspondent for FOX News, had a baby (punk raaawwwkkk!), and the band put out about half a dozen new songs, released some older material and b-sides on one compilation, and recently recorded a version of a well-known Christmas song for charity with a hell of an all-star backing cast of musicians (which Abraham also shamelessly plugged).

But if you thought that these accolades would have the Toronto punk band resting on their laurels, then you can guess again. The six-piece cut their teeth out on their live shows, and they don’t intend on slowing down anytime soon. Abraham’s stage presence is nothing short of mesmerizing; loosing his shirt, wrapping the mic around his throat like a noose, and lunging into the riled-up crowd, the singer lead the band through a mix of newer material and fan favourites, including ”Baiting The Public” and “Two Snakes”. If Pink Eyes was the blood and sweat of the performance, than Cook (or Young Guvernor, as he’s sometimes known) was certainly the engine, hammering out riffs and climbing on Abraham’s shoulders while playing. Regardless of whether you are a fan of their kind of music or not, there’s no denying the energy these guys have onstage and musicianship they display. Best live band in Toronto? In my mind, no question. If you ever get the chance to see Fucked Upplay live, go – you won’t be disappointed.

MySpace (Fucked Up): http://www.myspace.com/epicsinminutes

- MM

Deas Vail @ Opera House

Deas Vail, a five-piece from Arkansas, were the first band to come out tonight at The Opera House. Banners hanging over the keyboards, featuring the bands logo and a cheeky blue bird in a top hat and matching vest, peaked my curiosity for a band I knew very little about. Although often compared to the likes of Death Cab for Cutie and Mae, they have a more piano-focused pop sound that complimented the mood of the venue perfectly as people slowly filed in. Performing songs mainly from their latest and third record “Birds and Cages”, Deas Vail played a brief and fairly unspectacular set. While the guy/girl harmonies were a highlight, the band’s actual songs were for the most part a hit or miss. Crowd pleasers “The Things You Were” and “Excuses” served as nice little treats as the audience began warming up to the beat and more and more heads slowly started bobbing. In hindsight, they probably should have performed closer to Copeland since both their pop-rock sounds are quite comparable to each other. In fact, if you like Copeland you should definitely check these guys out.

MySpace (Deas Vail): http://www.myspace.com/deasvail

- RM

Person L @ Opera House

Following the piano-pop styling’s of Deas Vail came Person L, who contrasted the night’s sound with a deeper focus on classic rock influences. Led by Kenny Vasolini of punk band The Starting Line, Person L serves as an outlet to explore a more garage rock approach. Their unusual use of percussion and rhythm, coupled with bluesy guitar riffs, woke the crowd right up as Kenny combined themes of triumph and personal growth throughout their set list. Although a few of the songs seemed to drag on well past their welcome, the catchy guitar hooks of “Goodness Gracious” were more than enough to set things back on track. Although a bit of a curveball, “Sunshine” was a seemingly simple but beautifully sad song revealing more of their ambient and indie rock influences. Perhaps their major weakness however, was the similarity in sound between several of their songs. Nevertheless, Person L undoubtedly delivered an exceptionally energetic show that not only made people excited for the main act, but actually got them dancing too!

MySpace (Person L): http://www.myspace.com/personl

- RM

Copeland @ Opera House

Copeland, led by singer Aaron Marsh, were the last band slated to play at The Opera House tonight. Although often lumped in with the pop-punk crowd, their sound firmly belongs in experimental piano rock with groups like Mew. As they began setting up, it was already a little past eleven and the crowd seemed to be growing a wee bit restless. After ten years together and four albums under their belt, Copeland recently announced that this would be their farewell tour, and naturally everyone was hungry to see them play one last time. All restlessness suddenly transformed into hysteria as they jumped on stage and straight into “Take Care”, a fan-favourite rock anthem from their debut. The rest of their set list continued in similar fashion, covering classics from all four records as well as a few wildcards here and there. Highlights “Chin Up” and “The Day I Lost My Voice” from their latest album were met with warm reception as Aaron Marsh literally poured his heart into every emotionally-driven track. Experimenting with horn sections and even incorporating some post-rock-like guitar riffs into the mix, the creativity and artistic ability shown both on record and on stage by Copeland phenomenally exceeds the minimal recognition they are given. Their trademark soft and dreamy guitar sound, complimented by Aaron Marsh’s warm melodies about love and loss, merge together into some of the most sincere melancholy pop rock you will find.

MySpace (Copeland): http://www.myspace.com/copeland

- RM

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ML – Melody Lau, MM – Max Mertens, RM – Roman Melnik