Hot Hot Heat @ The Horsehoe Tavern
By: Orlando da Silva
Posted: March 14, 2010 – Toronto, Canada
I kind of take Hot Hot Heat for granted. Their first record stands as one of my most played of all-time, and "Bandages" in particular is one of my favourite songs written by anyone, ever. That I've slowly lost interest since that debut has more to do with them fitting into a certain time and place with me than with their sound changing and their slightly diminishing returns. Their sound has changed over the years, but not in a bad way.
What struck me about Hot Hot Heat's show at The Horseshoe Friday night was how far along they have come as a live band since that first LP. While I personally feel like their albums have become a little more hit and miss since then, in a live situation they are able to pick and choose pop gems from each album and maintain a cohesive, consistently energetic show.
While hits like "Talk To Me, Dance With Me", "No, Not Now" and "Middle of Nowhere" garnered a huge response from the already hugely enthusiastic (and overcrowded) audience, the show's highpoint actually came about midway, with "JFK's LSD", a song off of their new disc. With songs like this synth-noise trip-up Hot Hot Heat are more danceable than ever before. This due in no small part to the band's incredible rhythm section, and especially their bass player, who really tore it up on another new track—"Future Breeds", with its synchopated 5/4 rhythm.
As good as this performance was, however, I have issues with being shoved in by strangers, I know this is weird, and I'm a mess, but this was way worse than any other damn show. After the millionth person shoved past me (this is a constant reality in the always overcrowded Horseshoe; at one point I felt like a human pylon dividing two streams of douchebags) I just had to leave before I snapped on some 6'4'' asshole with two drinks full of ice thinking he can get just, you know, a little closer to the stage even though it's impossible, and spilling it on me. Does this sound like you at shows? I don't like you if it does.
Bitter.
Anyway, because of that I didn't even stick around to hear "Bandages", which I'm sure they played, and I'm sure was fantastic, much like the part of the show I did see.
Video: "Bandages" by Hot Hot Heat
