Ruby Jean and The Thoughtful Bees @ The Drake
By: Anne-Marie Bissada
Posted: June 21, 2009 – Toronto, Canada
With a name as long-winded and pretentious sounding as Ruby Jean and The Thoughtful Bees, I wasn¹t expecting big things from this band. But even I can be wrong.
Rebekah Higgs, lead vocalist, asked during sound check for the guitar to be "twice as loud". I checked for my earplugs, just in case it became more noise than music.
Higgs had a stage presence that got the attention of everyone in the room, both guys and girls. Dressed in a black dress with red sequins and sparkles, she joked around with the audience and at one point asked if there was any tall guy that wanted to be a volunteer. She pointed to one, stated in her sultry voice, "you look tall", and tried to get on his shoulders for the next song. For some reason it didn¹t work but her ability to communicate with the audience made the band a pleasure to both watch and listen to.
After a few songs, Higgs asked for the lights to be "a little darker, a little sexier, so people can make out." When she sang, she moved about so much that her long blond hair fell into her face and all you could see was a blond bubble bouncing around on stage, which in turn drew the crowd even more into the music.
The band's music is electronica with an emphasis on hard sounds and repetitive lyrics. Their take on Paula Abdul¹s "Cold Hearted Snake" was probably my least favourite, not because they didn't do a great job rearranging it but it still reeked of Abdul's Shut Up and Dance album, which I¹m still trying to forget to about.
In the end, their group's final song, "Danse Danse Revolution" ensured everyone was still dancing away, even if elbow to elbow. Band name aside, Ruby Jean and The Thoughtful Bees definitely know how to work a crowd and how to showcase their musical talents. This was no noisy affair, but danceable music enjoyed by everyone.
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