By: Duncan Boyd –
Smith Westerns. (Photo: Neil Van/Aesthetic Magazine Toronto)
“Hey do you want to see a band? No I hate bands, they’re always packed with men spooning their girlfriends, clutching their hands as if they’d let go, their feet with lift from the air and ascend.”
This is a quote from “I Know What Love Isn’t” by Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman, from his 2012 album of the same name, and for those in attendance at Lee’s Palace last night for Smith Westerns were able to fully appreciate as before the show had even begun the front area of the venue filled up with inseparable couples, ready to be romantically swept away by the glossy glam-rock of the Chicago quartet. If you happened to be at the show without your lover, there’s a good chance that pockets of make-out sessions surrounded you. Yet to be fair, and indeed less bitter than Jens Lekman, the show was still great.
For the live set, the Smith Westerns trio of Cullen Omori, Cameron Omori and Max Kakacek added two more members to the group. Singer Cullen donned a Fender Stratocaster complimented by a pick-guard ordained with marijuana leaves, perhaps echoing Smith Westerns’ Facebook interests in “Pu$$y and Weed.” Ironically, they opened their set with “End of the Night” from their 2011 breakout album Dye It Blonde, on which Kakacek showed off his obvious guitar skills, ripping through the song’s catchy riff. The slower number “Fool Proof”, from their latest release, Soft Will, was during which a lot of the making out began. An interesting dichotomy developed near the front of the stage between groups of couples and those who were waiting to try to start a little shoving, which apparently isn’t easy to do at a Smith Westerns show. Yet, both groups were satisfied as Cullen Omori remarked that Monday is often “the saddest day”, but didn’t appear to be so last night.
When the band made their way into “My Heart,” the set’s first song from their raw-sounding self-titled debut, those eager for a little more movement got their wish as a relatively small pit ensued. Though it didn’t last long, it was enough to satisfy the need for a little recklessness before Smith Westerns moved back into the slower glam-rock material of Dye It Blonde and Soft Will. They played “Imagine Pt. 3” and “Idol” before Cullen picked up the acoustic guitar for a few numbers, including Dye It Blonde’s “Smile” and the song that a lot of those in attendance had been waiting for all night, “Weekend”. Unsurprisingly, “Weekend” broke down the barrier between the couples and the non-couples, as everyone knew all the words to the song, a fact that Cullen Omori was aware of when he asked the crowd to sing along. Indeed, the crowd let loose upon hearing the song’s instantly catchy hook, easily a highlight of the show.
Before playing the final two songs of their set, Cullen informed the audience that the band didn’t do encores, so they should just pretend that they had already left and came back. They then moved into “3am Spiritual” and Soft Will’s leadoff single “Varsity”. By the end of the night, everyone got something out of the set, whether it was third base or a new favourite band.
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