SoundProof Showcase @ The El Mocambo
By: Karolina Rous
Mar. 14, 2009 – Toronto, Canada
Damn, what a night! We SoundProofers sure love a good festival showcase, and this year's CMW line-up at the El Mocambo proved to be one of our finest to date. We couldn't have asked for a better set – The Miles, Library Voices, Young Rival, Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears, The Week That Was and an after-hours top-off DJ set from Bloc Party lead singer Kele Okereke – or a more fun time, with a great turn out and high levels of energy driving the crowd all night long.
But anyway, on to the acts!
Kicking the night off was The Miles – whoa, helluva huge sound out of a trio that you'd expect indie twee from. With serious, driving beats and a kaleidoscope sound, the boys pounded out their best tracks, including "Table 42", "Paranoia" and "Trash". Way to rev it up hardcore at the start, The Miles!
Following on their heels were Library Voices, a.k.a. my new musical crush. The troupe from Regina, Saskatchewan were unbelievably tight, incredibly fun and let loose with a pure enthusiasm that infected the crowd from the get go. They just bled their hearts out on stage – they really are "pop as fuck"! Their unique brand of pop-infused tweexcore was just what we wanted, with tracks like "Kundera on the Dancefloor" and "Just Another Song", plus a great rendition of Neil Young's classic "Unknown Legend" avec drum-raised-to-the-crowd shenanigans really worked for us.
Next up was Young Rival. Hamilton, Ontario's finest sons pushed out their own blend of ‘70s New York-esque rebellion rock that was downright delicious. With a harmonica-backed heat, the band drove the night on with an unmatchable exuberance on stage, covering tracks, like the post-psychedelic "Your Island" and the ultra-sexy "Poisonous Moves", as if rock was gonna go out of style tomorrow.
Heard of Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears yet? You will soon enough. The New Yorkers made their Canadian debut at SoundProof's showcase, and what a fucking ride! Donning matching jumpsuits (re: that we want), mad musical scientist and avant-garde rock experimentalist Scary went ballistic, tearing through "Imitation Of The Sky", "Misery Loves Company" and more. Basically, they're a blend of acid-soaked Beatles, Bowie-meets-Captain Beefheart high-intensity glam/psychedelic rock with stage showmanship that you just don't see these days. Brilliant good fun!
The last act on our roster, The Week That Was, brought their distinctively brooding and ephemeral sound to the stage with tracks like "The Airport Line" and "It's All Gone Quiet". Orchestral and expansive in sound, The Week That Was created atmospheric, deep arrangements that grabbed the crowd's attention.
To top the night off, cus we clearly can't get enough, SoundProof's showcase got a dose of after-hours fun with a DJ set from Bloc Party's lead singer, Kele Okereke, who turned on the dance tracks (Missy Elliott, anyone?) for late-night partiers. Nice for him to pop by with a couple band mates to rock it out with SoundProof on our birthday – yup, we hit our three-year mark at our CMW showcase. Now let's see if we can top ourselves next year . . .
