Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ Yonge-Dundas Square: Unlike their set at the Mod Club the previous night, Ted Leo and his band actually seemed eager to play. Bolstered by a large and enthusiastic gathering of both fans and casual passer-bys, Leo responded by launching into his catalogue with more vigour and energy. One of the highlights of the festival for me was Leo working in a few verses of Daft Punk's "One More Time" during an extended rendition of "Little Dawn". However, about three quarters into his hour-long set, the sky opened up and a trickle turned into a drizzle and almost instantly turned into a thunderous downpour that brought the set to a surprisingly abrupt halt. To their credit, the band wanted to play on, but the rain threatened to cause electrical damage as technicians scrambled to protect the equipment.
Action Makes @ The Silver Dollar: Due to the thundershowers and incredibly lagging public transit, I didn’t arrive at the Dollar until two-thirds through Action Makes’ set. Unlike the previous night, the Dollar was surprisingly full and there wasn’t a fight to be seen. From what I saw of the band, their low-fi boogie rock went over quite well with the crowd, despite technical problems and a malfunctioning guitar.
Julie Doiron @ The Horseshoe Tavern: Arguably better known for her stint in East Coast indie heroes Eric’s Trip, the case can be made that Julie Doiron solo is just as good, if not better as her previous outfit. After seeing her set and listening to her voice, it’s inevitable that Doiron could be easily mistaken for iPod it-girl, Feist.
Although she predates the Feisty one by about a decade, Doiron hasn’t attained the level of swooning her contemporary indie-starlet has received. Her songs aren’t bad, but they don’t have the hooks and chorouses necessary to achieve mainstream adulation. However, I doubt that is her ultimate goal as she’s very capable of doing that if she wanted to. Accompanied by just her guitar and a drummer, Doiron’s songs are more intimate and almost whimsical (if that’s even possible) than Feist’s bedroom anthems and don’t have the Broken Social Scene juggernaut at their disposal to lend them any heft.
If she ever decided to write herself some hits, the iPod nation might just have another star in the making.
The Meligrove Band @ The Reverb: It’s been a while since I last saw the pride of Mississauga in action. Personally, I felt Planets Conspire was one the better albums to be released over the last couple of years and I was looking forward to seeing them debut some new material.
Because the night was being broadcast on CBC Radio 3, the musical lineup at this particular venue was an indie-hipster’s wet dream: Great Lake Swimmers, Laura Barrett, Justin Rutledge and The Priddle Concern featuring ex-Treble Charger and sometimes Broken Social Scenester Bill Priddle. This made for an unusually boisterous (and young) audience that gave the usually dour Reverb a welcoming, positive atmosphere.
Choosing a mixture of new material and some of the lesser-known tracks off of Planets Conspire, the band (now currently down to a power trio after the departure of one of their guitarists), blew through their 35 minute set at a blistering pace. As they launched into the opening chords of “Our Love Will Make The World Go Round” to end their set, the crowd erupted and turned the song into a communal sing-along that will go down as one of the highlights of the festival.
The Diableros @ The Silver Dollar: At this point, the skies had eased off to a drizzle, however they opened up again as I was walking along College Street towards the Dollar. The onslaught forced me to seek refuge at a pizza joint and wait it out (I’m not really a fan of the new makeover job at Massimo’s by the way; if you actually know of that place – but at least the slices are still decent). After 15 minutes, the rain didn’t appear ready to let up, so I decided to make a run for it, lest I miss The Diableros entirely. Sopping wet, I got to the Dollar with about 10 minutes left in their set and caught the last three songs. I wanted to check out We Are Wolves at Sneaky’s, but I was too cold, wet and exhausted so I headed home.
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