("And that's why you all need to be good little girls and boys. Because the Easter Bunny is watching." © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)
The Trews have always been one of those bands that have just been a blip on my musical radar. You know the type: They’ve been around for years, but the only time you tend to notice they exist is when they pop out another single.
Their Friday night JunoFest performance may have converted me. To put it simply, they rocked their little tent hard, as evidenced by the legions of drunk crowdsurfers and screeching fans. Within moments of entering the tent, I was captivated by the dapperly dressed quartet and how effortlessly they held the attention of their audience. Despite their limited set time, they did a wonderful job engaging the crowd without getting too chatty. “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me” rocked a cowbell while the guitarist, John-Angus MacDonald, jumped off the stage and into the unwashed masses, making the throng even wilder (and the security guards even wearier) than before.
Although there was nothing theoretically new or innovative in their set, it was actually refreshing to see a solid rock performance sans the experimentalism that’s rampant in the indie rock world. No Afro-pop beats, no stagey feedback loops… none of that shit. The staple singles were all present, interspersed with songs off their newest release, 2008’s No Time for Later. Aside from a finale that perhaps dragged on too long and had too many endings for its own good – remember Lord of the Rings? – The Trews put on a high-energy headbang-fest that would’ve done The Junos proud.
The Trews closed with “Tired of Waiting” in a somewhat anti-climactic manner, opting to finish on an extended jam instead of on a strong, punchy, fan-driven chorus. It was as though the entire set was nice and tight, but as soon as the Sirius Satellite Radio guy wandered over and signaled to the band they only had five minutes left to wrap the show, the wheels fell off. To be fair though, the fans damn near incited a small riot when they realized The Trews wouldn’t be coming back for an encore. Like lightning, they were here one moment and gone the next, leaving nothing behind but a low-rolling thunder across the city of Vancouver.
Their Friday night JunoFest performance may have converted me. To put it simply, they rocked their little tent hard, as evidenced by the legions of drunk crowdsurfers and screeching fans. Within moments of entering the tent, I was captivated by the dapperly dressed quartet and how effortlessly they held the attention of their audience. Despite their limited set time, they did a wonderful job engaging the crowd without getting too chatty. “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me” rocked a cowbell while the guitarist, John-Angus MacDonald, jumped off the stage and into the unwashed masses, making the throng even wilder (and the security guards even wearier) than before.
Although there was nothing theoretically new or innovative in their set, it was actually refreshing to see a solid rock performance sans the experimentalism that’s rampant in the indie rock world. No Afro-pop beats, no stagey feedback loops… none of that shit. The staple singles were all present, interspersed with songs off their newest release, 2008’s No Time for Later. Aside from a finale that perhaps dragged on too long and had too many endings for its own good – remember Lord of the Rings? – The Trews put on a high-energy headbang-fest that would’ve done The Junos proud.
The Trews closed with “Tired of Waiting” in a somewhat anti-climactic manner, opting to finish on an extended jam instead of on a strong, punchy, fan-driven chorus. It was as though the entire set was nice and tight, but as soon as the Sirius Satellite Radio guy wandered over and signaled to the band they only had five minutes left to wrap the show, the wheels fell off. To be fair though, the fans damn near incited a small riot when they realized The Trews wouldn’t be coming back for an encore. Like lightning, they were here one moment and gone the next, leaving nothing behind but a low-rolling thunder across the city of Vancouver.
Click the link to see Ben's photo gallery of The Trews @ JunoFest '09!
0 comments:
Post a Comment