Two Hours Traffic Jab Hard

Toronto, ON

Lee's Palace

Scott Bryson (CHARTattack)

09/29/2008 12:11pm

Brohan Moore: is that a cell phone in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? I'll never understand the need for lead singers to wear excruciatingly tight pants, but as long as the frontman for openers The Danks is channelling Julian Casablancas, I can't complain.

The Charlottetown quartet came off as a little unproven and nervous (the starter slot still seems the best place for them), but with some experience and songwriting muscle, the unsigned Danks could one day be Canada's answer to The Strokes.

Middle-slotters The I Spies, by comparison, have a much more tested set of live chops, but they're missing an ineffable charisma that the awkward Danks possess. There's no doubt they're a technically tight rock outfit; they just need a signature sound to seal the deal.

Headliners Two Hours Traffic are the best of both worlds — they're instrumentally accomplished and are the beloved epitome of Maritime cordiality.

He who does not self-promote is doomed to failure. Two Hours Traffic know this and wisely threw this one-off show to capitalize on a wave of Polaris Music Prize nomination buzz. They hit all the best tunes from last year's Little Jabs and also threw out a couple of new songs that point towards a decent start for their next disc.

The quartet are by no means a spectacular live act, but one word that could definitely describe them is "soild." Theirs is a sort of pop that it's next to impossible to hate. No one was jumping for joy, but no one was leaving early, either.

Performer of the night award goes to guitarist Alec O'Hanley, who pulled double-duty in The Danks and Two Hours Traffic. At one point during the headlining set, he tuned his guitar with one hand while playing keyboard with the other. It was simply astounding.

Epilogue: Lee's Palace, if you're going to move the men's washroom, you need to put up some more noticeable signage.