The Balconies @ Rivoli - Photo by Amanda Macchia

It wasn’t quite Christmas yet, but the good folks at Audioblood treated the city to a two-night show at the Rivoli earlier in the month, featuring six Audioblood bands and two surprise guests.

Charlotte Cornfield kicked things off on the first night, December 10, with her folk-infiltrated pop music.

Immediately after, Burlington’s Sandman Viper Command hit things off with “Oh Yeah, It’s Fusion” – a perfect example of their clean, 60s-inspired indie pop – starting off with that memorable guitar riff that swells into an intense jam session (think Sam Roberts Band’s “The Gate”). Other tracks like “The Best of Plans” and “The Metal I’ve Spent” kept the crowd attentive, especially to lead guitarist Daniel Reardon’s crisp blues solos.

Up next was Toronto’s own Make Your Exit and their almost indefinable sound (let’s go with experimental folk rock for now), also to the crowd’s satisfaction. The bright jangling chords and drummer Steve Dagg’s intricate earthy rhythms featured on tracks like “Kids” complimented frontman Jeff Buckley’s subtle vocal tones. Most memorable though was the chanting of “but I didn’t drink it” of “Leave This Town” – full of piano fills, hollow guitar solos, and spot-on harmonies that would all make The Band proud.

Wrapping the first night up was special guest number one, Ruby Coast. As usual, the band won everyone over with their fast-paced indie rock, fully-equipped with simple melodies via Justice McLellan (lead vox, guitar), but mixed with the texture of the band’s use of recurring guitar and synth riffs. Their set was consistently high-energy and was a satisfactory conclusion of the night.

Twenty-four hours later Toronto’s Teenage Kicks imploded the undetermined atmosphere of night two with their mix of downbeats and distortion, ripping up tracks like “Shook Our Bones” and “I Get What You Give” and demonstrating to their hometown that they’ve been improving right in front of our eyes since their 7” release show this past summer. Their material is a complimentary mix of classic rock elements and their own contemporary preferences, resulting in a new and interesting sound.

Next was the bittersweet performance of Clothes Make The Man. After eight years of CMTM, the band announced that December 11’s show at the Rivoli would be their last. Nonetheless, the band delivered what was probably their most passionate and heart-felt performance to end their story. Tracks like “Chile,” with its simple lyrics and noisy chord progressions, not only demonstrate why Ryan McLennan’s voice is perfectly suited for their type of rock, but also why audiences have relied on CMTM for fun-guaranteed shows throughout the years.

Third up was Ottawa’s The Balconies. Jacquie Neville never fails to lead in the delivery of her band’s ridiculously catchy indie pop. Tracks like “Battle Royale” show just how addictive a melody can be, and paired with the song’s underlying blues lines and Liam Jaeger’s solid drumming, makes for an outstanding performance. Also included in the set was the mystifying “The Slo,” taking “underlying blues lines” to another level and highlighting Jacquie’s falsetto. They closed their set with the always-entertaining “Serious Bedtime” its now-well-known line “if you do it in the dark.”

The show, and the entire event, wrapped with the second special guest Great Bloomers. Their strong work ethic showed onstage, pounding out song after song of their alternative indie rock seven bands later in order to cap off what was a solid two nights of local talent on Queen West. Hopefully, we’ll do it again next year.

Check out more photos of The Balconies by clicking HERE.