Gentleman Reg @ The Horseshoe Tavern
By: Bill Alexander
Mar. 12, 2009 – Toronto, Canada
Reg Vermue served me my beer at the Beaver on Monday night – a service he's perhaps fulfilled for a significant portion of the capacity crowd out for his CMW showcase at the Horseshoe on Thursday night, whether they realized it at the time or not. Either way, by the time show's end rolled around, many of his previous patrons would be thinking it only a matter of time before Vermue would be able to make it on his music alone.
On this night he is Gentleman Reg, the local singer-songwriter who has recently signed with superstar indie label Arts & Crafts and released Jet Black, his first album of new material in four years.
Getting through a fair number of tracks from Jet Black, Reg chatted candidly to the crowd in between songs, sharing little anecdotes and keeping things light and fluffy. His set featured some of his more high-energy offerings, showcasing his unique voice and the ease with which he seems to approach live performance. On stage, Reg is calm and confident, as if performing in a music video rather than before a large crowd of sweaty peers. "Coastline" saw Land of Talk's Liz Powell (who co-wrote the song with Vermue) join the band on stage, while "We're In A Thunderstorm" hooked the crowd and had ‘em dancing (or bobbing their heads/tapping their feet at the very least) – two very memorable highlights from a memorable show.
Whether the entire crowd was there to check out Reg, or just hanging in for Chad VanGaalen to follow, Vermue surely spawned a few new fans that night, proving his worth as an asset to the local scene and the vast Arts & Crafts landscape.
Service with a smile.
Video: "Over My Head" by Gentleman Reg
