By: Bryen Dunn (@Bryen_Dunn) –
The Festival Music House brought in five Canadian acts last night to perform at this annual invite-only event series that showcases musical talent for producers, directors, writers, actors and other film industry types who are in town for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The underlying goal of this event is to feature a wide spectrum of talent in hopes that someone in the crowd will license their songs for film and television projects.
Now in its fourth year, the first of two nights featured Nightbox, Diamond Rings, Mother Mother, The Darcys and Michael Rault to the stage of the recently opened Adelaide Hall. This event made for a welcome reprise from the typical hush-hush and high tail celebrity soirees, or that entire sitting around watching movies.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Nightbox
_____________________________________________________________________________________
As the lights went down and Nightbox hit the stage at midnight, the crowd had a complete changeover from when Michael Rault performed four hours earlier. It seemed a new batch arrived most likely after late-night screenings around the city. Nightbox are the current Toronto based “it” band at the moment, and having MSTRKRFT’s Al-P and Death From Above 1979’s Sebastien Grainger produce their first EP a couple of years back will likely added some credibility.
The single “Pyramid” created a buzz around indie music circles, and the accompanying video garnered regular airplay as well. It was also something recognizable by many in the crowd, who had gyrated to their dance-punk grooves until the 4am last call.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Diamond RIngs
_____________________________________________________________________________________
What is there to be said about Diamond Rings that hasn’t already been said? John O’Regan has taken his flamboyant glam look and sound to new heights, not referring to his six-foot-plus statuesque figure. Formally in the much rockier sounding D’Urbervilles, his latest persona has seen him grace the stage with Robyn and Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark. This night he was back on his home turf and performed most of his recognizable yet-not-mainstream-radio hits, including “Runaway Love” and “I’m Just Me”.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mother Mother
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mother Mother took the stage like a powerful force, with Ryan Guldemond gracing centre stage on guitar and lead vocals, flanked on either side by Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin on keyboard and backing vocals. The towering Guldemond was sporting a bleached blond faux hawk and kept mumbling cryptic messages between tunes, most of which went unheard by the unfocused crowd. He did make mention of how “an open bar can make a grumpy alcoholic happy”, and spurted “shits gonna get weird, but not too weird”, before launching into the rocking “Bit by Bit”. By the end, this quintet had won over dozens of new fans.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Darcys
_____________________________________________________________________________________
When The Darcys took the stage the bar was busier with many clamoring in for the open bar of Amsterdam beer, TAG Vodka, and Dan Akroyd wines. The Toronto-based quartet was in fine form, and performed a few songs from their upcoming Arts & Crafts September 18th release, Warring, including first single “The River”. However, they began with a couple of Steely Dan covers, most of which appeared on their 2012 album AJA, which serves as their interpretation of Steely Dan’s 1977 classic album of the same name, including a sped up version of their classic “Peg”. The harmonizing vocals of Jason Couse and Michael le Riche were perfectly matched, accompanied by their brilliant keys and synth playing.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Michael Rault
_____________________________________________________________________________________
By the time Michael Rault hit the stage there were less than 50 people in attendance. Rault himself confessed he was “just waking up”, and seemed a bit lethargic up there. Halfway through his 40-minute set things picked up, both in the club and on stage. Rault announced things were about to get intense as the band went into the rocking “Real Love”. Most other songs were off their latest release, ranged from rockabilly tinged to straight up rock and roll. The closing number “Sunsets” had hints of early Rolling Stones, riffing similarities to “The Last Time”.
Aesthetic Magazine | Album Reviews, Concert Photography, Interviews, Contests 
Discussion
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
Pingback: Year in Review: The Best Concert Photos of 2013 | Aesthetic Magazine Toronto | Album Reviews, Concert Photography, Interviews, Contests - December 12, 2013