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BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, Jan. 21st + 22nd, the Marquee, Halifax - Need I Say More?Jan 27 '05 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Great concerts by both Broken Social Scene and the Stars.
Prepare to feel bad: chances are you missed seeing Broken Social Scene. If aren’t stomping on your hat right now, then you must have never heard of the eleven-piece musical collective. Because if you had, trust me, you’d be regretting the fact you missed them. And if you were one of the few that made the trek up to Halifax to see them? Well you don’t need me to tell you what a privilege it was. Known for transcendent live performances and a highly intelligent yet jammy sound, Broken Social Scene’s (BSS) popularity has been growing at an exponential rate since their 2003 landmark album You Forgot It In People. Their two-night stand at Halifax’s Marquee Club last weekend lived up to the expectations swimmingly. Both concerts were opened by the Stars, a slightly less-popular and more straight forward band with a similar sound. However, that’s to be expected considering they consist of members completely drawn from BSS. Their performances both nights were good, and thrived off the frenetic David-Byrne-like energy of singer Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan’s grrl-rock persona, who filled in admirably for Emily Haines. BSS was off the hizzy, though, yo. What were excellent performances both nights started with a string of ‘hits’: “Shampoo Suicide”, “KC Accidental”, “Stars and Sons”, and most of all “Cause = Time” moved the crowd to rocking as hard as I’ve ever seen a Halifax crowd rock. After playing most of the crowd-favourites, the band (on both nights) unveiled new material to be released on the upcoming LP, Windsurfing Nation (which will be released in June 2005). The new songs brimmed with optimism and joy, and were a pleasure to hear for the first time in a live setting. The highlights of the night were “Cause = Time”, being able to hear some of the new and unreleased songs, and “Anthem for a Seventeen Year Old Girl”, which is always a pleasure to hear live – even without Emily singing it. Amy did a super job though, singing a more aggressive, rocking version of the show-stopper. Depending on how things go, the Marquee may or may not close – we don’t know. Chances are it’s done, but rumours are floating around that say otherwise. Either way, it’s a great place, though, and if it closes it’ll be too bad that bands as excellent as BSS will never be able to return again to play an equally excellent venue. However, that doesn’t mean that the music has died. The Marquee was key to the whole local scene, but music means more to Halifaxians than a mere venue: the kids will always be there to go to the shows, whether there’s a place to have them or not. For example, you can expect a good crowd to go out to Stage Nine on Feb. 11th, where sweetheart pop singers Tegan and Sara will be playing an intimate set. Stage Nine is a small place I hear, so don’t sit around and expect tickets to be there at the door on the day of. Get your tickets in advance if you want to see what will undoubtedly be another show you don’t want to miss. Overall I'd give BSS a 4.5 stars out of 5 and, ironically, the Stars a 4 stars out of 5. 'Twas that good. Anyways, 'till next show.  |
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