Neverending White Lights Bring In The Noise

The dreamy atmosphere presented on both Neverending WhiteLights albums make it easy to forget they're essentially rock records. NWL mastermind Daniel Victor, hasn't forgotten, however, as he proved on Saturday.

The night started simply enough with '90s rock icon Rob Dickinson of Catherine Wheel singing his newer solo work. Dickinson sounded good, but that's exactly what we expect from someone of his pedigree. He not only brought good sound to the stage with his acoustic guitar, but also personality. It takes a brave and confident artist to ask the crowd if anyone has a copy of his new album so he could read the lyrics to "Intelligent People" after he messed them up three times. This could have come across as sad, but it made him seem both real and genuine. I don't think it mattered though, because it was clear there were more than a few Catherine Wheel fans in the house, and the occasional dips into the CW vault were met with huge applause. To see the heads bobbing randomly in the seats to "Crank" and "Black Metallic," you would have thought it was Dickinson's show. He left the stage to a standing ovation from one-third of the crowd and we still had one more band to go.

From the first few notes, NWL made it clear there would be no dozing in the Music Hall's comfy chairs. They came out far louder and fiercer than on record. Victor's vocals seemed mumbled and fuzzy, but if you already knew the words you made your way through the wall of sound that NWL laid down.

Fans got a few of the special guest vocalists who define Neverending album. Ours frontman Jimmy Gnecco appeared first for "Dove Coloured Sky" and "Of All The Things You've Done Wrong," and looked very rock star in his sunglasses and leather next to Victor and his suited band members. A few tracks later, the former frontman of Toronto's Supergarage and Victor's self-proclaimed best friend Marco "Solo" DiFelice brought some warmth to the stage. He lightened the mood significantly, by bouncing around for his take on the New Order cover "Age Of Consent." He and Victor deftly finished off "A Littlepiece" a cappella which dovetailed nicely into a crowd singalong. The final addition to the stage was the return of Rob Dickinson, who sang his NWL track, "Where We Are." Victor then dedicated "The World Is Darker" to Melissa Auf Der Maur, who had to cancel her planned appearance.

I don't know if it was the noticeably rockier feel put on the tracks, the fact that most of the crowd was stuck behind recording cameras, or the lack of Victor's trademark towering hairdo, but most of the crowd seemed a little shellshocked. Perhaps Victor was too "rawk." Maybe the crowd weren't expecting a show where the frontman laid on the floor to play solos or threw his guitar around during an extended ending of "Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Heart."

For the last tune of the night, Gnecco returned to fill in the vocals for "The Grace." The recorded version features Dallas Green, and while Gnecco is no Green, especially not in Canada, he held his own. He came back one more time for the encore of "Our Final Hymn" before Victor finished the night with the fast-paced single, "Always."

Daniel Victor may have made NWL popular by using a cast of well-known guest singers, but he can definitely entertain without their help. With a loud backing band, he's proving that he can be a solid showman.