Silver Starling @ The Garrison
By: Andrew Horan
Posted: March 13, 2010 – Toronto, Canada
Given the Montreal band's pedigree, expectations were high heading into Silver Starling's CMW. Frontman Marcus Paquin has worked with Stars and remixed Arcade Fire along with engineering their third album, while wife Marika Anthony-Shaw is a touring member of Arcade Fire as well.
Musically, the band shares many similarities: they play both anthemic indie rock and use everything from violins to banjos. Paquin's vocals were at times reminiscent of Win Butler's—and he seemed to take himself a bit too seriously at times, just like Butler.
But aside from that, their set was less pretentious and self-important. There was a fun feel to the music and they seemed to be enjoying themselves, with their guitarist and bassist grooving to the music. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to trickle down to the audience who were content to mill around at the front of the stage.
Even though they were playing a relatively short set, the band did still manage to bring an epic feel to the gig, rocking The Garrison as if they were playing a larger venue.
"Thank you for sticking around," Paquin told the crowd before they launched into their final song. The quiet opening gradually build to a crescendo with his passionate vocals riding on top.
After a brief pause as the band left the stage, he came back and quickly bowed.
Video: "Love & a Broken Heart" by Silver Starling
