Easy Stars In Concert

Last month the Reggae cover band Easy Star All-Stars played a packed Opera House. It was the most engaged crowd I've seen this year and it's no wonder. The touring line-up are first-class musicians who give their all and clearly love what they do. This was their 10th anniversary tour performing all of Dark Side of the Moon and the audience was with them all the way.

A hopping Reggae act, John Brown's Body, was on first. They're named after the 19th century American abolitionist. They were enthusiastic and their danceable songs warmed up the house for the main event. People were openly smoking pot, a leisurely security patrol not dissuading anyone. One fan was wearing a top hat like the Mad Hatter's. When smoking was still allowed in Toronto concert venues people with joints blended in. It felt really different now, being in the hazy blue cloud, indoors.

The All-Stars came onstage with a big driving version of Radiohead's Electioneering. The Pink Floyd songs were as majestic as the originals but, best of all, the band made them their own. Kirsty Rock's vocal riffing on The Great Gig in the Sky was particularly impressive. It was also refreshing to see that the group was ethnically diverse and made up of men and women.

They played songs from other albums, including One Likkle Draw (original), a protest song: Mr. President and Redemption Song for the finale. The tenor sax and trombone players sounded amazing, especially on Thriller and Billy Jean. What grabbed me most was their cover of Radiohead’s Climbing Up the Walls. I swayed along to the ambient sounds and felt the emotions in the words.

Easy Star All-Stars at the Opera House, Toronto, April 2014. Photo credit: A. Lavender

Britpop at the Monarch

In high school my favourite kind of music was Britpop. Recently, I heard that the Monarch Tavern has a Britpop night. So, naturally, I wanted to go. It was a great spot to dance, relax and be nostalgic.

Nestled among little houses on Clinton, the bar's atmosphere is laid-back. Last month, on the night my friend and I went, a woman was celebrating her birthday there. The balloons and "40 and Fabulous" banner added to the living room feel. One of the birthday girl's friends even gave us a piece of their red velvet cake.

DJs George and Nikki played lots of hits to satisfy the crowd and a good selection of lesser-known stuff that I really liked: Super Furry Animals' Northern Lights, Shed Seven's Speakeasy, James' Sit Down and Belle & Sebastian's Boy with the Arab Strap. My friend was happy the DJs also played Manchester songs like The Charlatans' The Only One I Know. A big screen by the dance floor was showing video compilations and live footage of Supergrass, Pulp and Roxy Music. At the end of the night they ran a documentary Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop, which I definitely want to catch soon.

There was also a solid dose of '80s classics to keep casual patrons moving. Dancing to Madonna, Depeche Mode and The Cure at last call was fantastic. It was interesting to see that the top bands of those days were still the ones who drew the most people to the floor. George and Nikki saved the singles by Pulp, Blur and Oasis 'til the night's peak. I noticed that fewer people danced to Suede's Metal Mickey than to the band's Beautiful Ones, which was the reverse at Dance Cave in the '90s. Then again, maybe the crowd just liked that it was an upbeat song.

Empire is every 3rd Saturday at the Monarch. The next installment is Saturday May 17th, 10pm. No cover.

Jarvis Cocker (and Steve Mackey) of Pulp at MuchMusic Toronto, circa 1996. Photo: Moonage Wolf