By: Adam Harrison (@AdamRHarrison) –
Kelvin Swaby of The Heavy. (Photo: Adam Harrison/Aesthetic Magazine Toronto)
Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre got a little funky on Wednesday night as English neo soul rockers, The Heavy, famous for their commercial hit “How You Like Me Now?” dropped by to show off their newest album, The Glorious Dead.
San Diego-based folk rockers, The Silent Comedy, opened the show. All those unaware of this quintet were in for a very pleasant surprise, but there were a few in the know of what we were about to experience and made their way to the front of the stage early to bask in the 55-minute set of high-energy, enthusiastic, southern style, rock ‘n’ roll.
The fronting brothers, Joshua and Jeremiah Zimmerman, who’s preacher father sold all of their possessions in an attempt to launch the family band, danced, stomped, and howled their way into the hearts of everyone in the venue. They played tunes from their 2010 album, Common Faults, such as “Bartholomew”, “All Saints Day” and “Blood on the Rails”. In an epic finale to their set, Joshua Zimmerman braved his way into the crowd. As he cleared a circle for his mic stand and bass guitar, he rocked out amongst his people.
If you’re tired, move out-of-the-way, because The Heavy aren’t about to let the pace slow down. They ignited their 90-minute set with the bombastic “Can’t Play Dead”. Their simple four-piece band supported by two saxophone players sported a big sound right from the start. Also early in the set came the carnival sounding, Coney Island-esque, “Sixteen” from their 2009 breakthrough album, The House That Dirt Built.
What’s fascinating about The Heavy is that most of the band is actually quite stationary. It’s their frontman Kelvin Swaby who packs enough punch to knock out a crowd of thousands. From jumping around and waving his arms, to ska dancing, his agility and animation is simply unmatched. Running around, sporting black jeans and a black wife-beater, checking out and joining hands with all the ladies in the first few rows, sweat dripping from his bald head, Swaby was in the zone.
The first sing-a-long of the night came during the western-themed “Short Change Hero” and a clear highlight of the night. The fans swayed to the verse rhythm and joined in on the chorus, “this ain’t no place for no hero, this ain’t no place for no better man”. The following song, “Curse Me Good” had even more audience participation with everyone taking part during the catchy bridge “Don’t you smile at my face, spit on my back, Do you kiss your mother with a mouth like that? Love it, leave it, it’s all good to me.”
You could tell that The Heavy enjoyed touring with The Silent Comedy by the amount of praises they gave them, along with the many times they asked the audience to give it up for them. The true chemistry between the two bands however became clear during a collaborative performance of “Blood Dirt Love Stop”. All eleven people were on stage singing in community; a true brotherhood.
The three-song encore began a little slow, with a couple of songs that quieted down the crowd. Before the moment everyone was waiting for,Swaby teased the fans. He split the crowd down the middle of the floor and rambled on while the band played a slow jam. “How do you like us?” he asked. This went on a little long, a little too long actually. But eventually everyone got what they wanted as The Heavy launched into their massive hit “How You Like Me Now?” Both the fans and Swaby were instantly filled with energy as if the very first note was a tall can of Red Bull. The Heavy saved the best for last so that everyone could go home satisfied.
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The Heavy
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The Silent Comedy
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