Jens Lekman Makes The Great Hall Oh So Silent

This evening of indie pop was originally to be split between two fundraiser shows on April 7 and 8 at The Music Gallery, but was later amalgamated into one evening at The Great Hall. Although this show was no longer at The Music Gallery, which is housed in St. George The Martyr Anglican Church, the crowd at The Great Hall was pretty much reverent on Tuesday night. The audience stared very intently at all three performers as they took their turns on stage.

Recent Chart Canadian Music Week showcase participant Katie Stelmanis was on first and blasted the audience's ears with tunes from her Join Us debut. Stelmanis and drummer Maya Postepski kept the crowd's attention for most of their set — partly because of the splinters which kept flying off Postepski's drum sticks as she pounded one lone floor tom and cymbal. It got to the point where you wondered if someone was going to get a sliver in the eye. Luckily, that didn't happen.

When Owen Pallett, better known as Final Fantasy, arrived for the show's middle performance, it was clear something was wrong with The Great Hall's sound levels. Although Pallett and the sound tech couldn't seem to sort out said issues, Pallett still played a great set. He mainly played tracks from 2005's Has A Good Home and 2006's He Poos Clouds. But Pallett took things a step further and played several new songs. At the end of his set, he explained he had recently traveled to Morocco, was still sick with a mystery bug and couldn't afford to go to the doctor. One has to wonder if this means he's still missing his OHIP card.

A lengthy wait followed before Jens Lekman finally came on stage. Lekman didn't disappoint the antsy fans as he launched into a stripped-down set featuring himself and percussionist Tammy Karlsson. He played nearly all of the tracks on his most recent Night Falls Over Kortedala LP and several songs from his other releases.

Lekman began with Kortedala's "Into Eternity," which transferred nicely into that album's "Sipping On The Sweet Nectar." Evidence of his songwriting skills could be found here and throughout his set. Lekman's songs feature extensive orchestral instrumentation on record, but they still worked live when broken down to absolute simplicity on his electric guitar (the ukelele was absent) and Karlsson's bongos. Lekman, known for the wry sense of humour in his lyrics, then interspersed "A Postcard To Nina" with amusing and witty anecdotes about the song's story. This put the audience in stitches.

Other highlights included "You Are The Light (By Which I Travel Into This And That)," from 2004's When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog, "Shirin," "Your Arms Around Me" and "The Opposite Of Hallelujah," for which he was joined by Pallett. The only fan favourite unfortunately missing was When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog's "Maple Leaves." Regardless, Lekman kept the audience transfixed throughout his set. There were next to no sounds to be heard other than those emanating from the stage.

Lekman played for about an hour, but this didn't satisfy him or anyone else.

"I'd love to play more for you," he said before leaving the stage. "Maybe outside, somewhere in the park."

Turns out he wasn't kidding. When I got home at the end of the night, someone told me Lekman had played under a tree somewhere in the wee hours of the morning. Torontonians, don't feel neglected; you more than got your Lekman fill.