By Mick Côté, Staff Contributor
Masterminds of Canadian indie rock, The New Pornographers, shook the pants off of some and left others fully clothed while performing for the Halifax Pop Explosion.
Following performances by Boxer the Horse and My Brightest Diamond, it was clear that the Pornographers are in a league of their own; no amateur work, no improvisation. They were well-rehearsed, and delivered in the most seamless way possible.
Though PEI’s Boxer the Horse presented themselves to the crowd with an act studded with highs and lows, it was the listeners who kept the whole thing tame and a little divided. The four guys tried to get the audience moving by cutting to the chase and hopping right into their high-energy tunes, but the buzz of people filtering through the Forum’s door ate away at their music.
No one’s to be blamed for that but the Forum itself. While spacious and accommodating, the acoustics in the big concrete block are far from a musician’s best friend.
One thing must be noted: though Boxer the Horse did provide simple riffs and melodies, their musicality and versatility can be applauded. The bassist and the drummer constantly switched instruments; taking on keyboard duties and trading roles.
Their performance lasted a little over half an hour, barely leading way to My Brightest Diamond’s level of strength and depth. What an odd lineup. It can be understood that the Diamond’s appearance on the 2009 charity-album Dark Was The Night with The New Pornographers earned them a spot as guest performers, but the alternating levels of music likely factored into the crowd’s response.
The members of My Brightest Diamond, all dapper in shades of black and grey, took the stage and quietly gained composure.
Shara Worden’s voice, at once mesmerizing and haunting, resonated throughout the entire room.
The small-framed vocalist has a voice and a guitar that could quite possibly annihilate her. The strength of her projection can easily be confused for the loudest instrument on stage.
The Detroit-based band performed songs from past albums along with tracks from their 2009 EP releases, tearing away at strong renditions of “Inside a Boy” and “Ice and the Storm.” The Diamond’s shine got brighter when Worden played a song she wrote and composed the Saturday prior to the concert.
“I’m making myself equally as nervous as Ben, our drummer replacement who’s playing his first show tonight,” she said while introducing her new song.
Worden looked as though she was up to no good, teasing the crowd with childlike hops and winks. But the biggest treat had yet to be delivered.
In a perfect ending to their set, My Brightest Diamond played two cover songs that managed to capture the crowd’s attention.
“Feeling Good,” which they had also covered on Dark Was the Night, could have easily been recorded on stage and put on a track. With the seamlessness of her act and the song’s timing, it could have played simultaneously with the album’s recording and no one would have noticed.
Finally, after a soulful version of “Tainted Love,” it was time for the long-awaited act to make its way on stage. The show was about to start and the crowd knew it—inching towards the stage and actively looking for their perfect view spots.
Seven musicians filed on to the brightly lit stage, taking their place behind microphones, keyboards, and drum kits. The New Pornographers had never performed in Halifax until now, leaving the Maritimes basking in their growing popularity. For this Vancouver band, there’s no pretence; it’s all in the act, in the music and in it’s originality.
Neko Case and her fiery red hair could not be controlled—it’s as though the songs had been built for her to highlight with whimsical, assertive melodies. Finally, after nearly three hours, the static crowd began clapping their hands, bending their knees and tapping their toes. By the fourth song, drunken minds were filtering out of the beer garden, making their way through the crowd with an excitement that stood apart.
“We tried to make a set list that’s an equal part of all our albums since we’ve never played here,” said Carl Newman, a vocalist and guitar player.
“Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk” seems to have received the biggest crowd response, but they also serenaded the crowd with ballads that almost sounded like lullabies.
Some people may criticize the Forum for having poor acoustics, and others may say that the Halifax crowd is a little stagnant for this type of indie rock show. But one could also argue that the energy presented by the bands slowly leaked into the appreciative audience.
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