Lerche Debuts New Songs

After knocking off a killer new song called "Heartbreak Radio" for his opening number, Sondre Lerche — in town on a solo tour — made his next order of business an apology for cancelling a Toronto show in 2007. He admitted that it was "immature" and "despicable" of him.

The two-thirds-full Mod Club was quick to offer forgiveness, and it would have been hard not to pardon him. Lerche radiates all the aw-shucks exuberance of a young Joel Plaskett. Upon seeing the Norwegian's outfit, one audience member remarked, "He looks like a little lumberjack."

It'd be more than fair to say that Lerche is the diametrical opposite of Hayden. Both are immensely skilled songwriters and musicians, but Lerche has personality and his music will never make you cry. He also knows how to cater to a crowd. It's a safe bet that not a single person left The Mod Club without hearing at least one of their top-three Lerche favourites. He played songs from all five of his discs, including "Dead Passengers," "Two Way Monologue," "Sleep On Needles," "Airport Taxi Reception," "She's Fantastic" and "Phantom Punch."

Lerche also breathed new life into Duper Sessions' "Everyone's Rooting For You," and somehow mimicked an entire ensemble's instruments with just an acoustic guitar (including an interlude that he introduced as the piano solo).

The night was also partly about testing new material. Lerche trotted out a "bootylicious" song that started with the crowd-pleasing lyrics, "I like it when you're drunk," and later managed to keep the audience silent long enough to play a tender, gushy love song.

Opener Sylvie Lewis joined Lerche on stage at the show's midpoint for the duets "Hell No" and "Modern Nature." Men and women alike were left swooning.

Heads up, collectors: Lerche was peddling a new, very limited-edition EP called Polaroid Pumpkin Party. Each low-budget CD-R was autographed by Lerche, and it came with a one-of-a-kind Polaroid picture of him and friends celebrating Halloween, election night and "the dying beauty of Polaroids."