Arkells, Waking Eyes Take Over 'Shoe

Horseshoe Tavern

Toronto, ON

on Feb 6 2009

Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

02/09/2009 2:15pm

Toronto's We Are The Take had the coveted opening slot at Friday night's show. Since they were playing before two of Canada's biggest up-and-coming bands, they were probably hoping that people would take note of their sound, too.

Unfortunately, the band have a long way to go before that happens. Singer/guitarist Erik Alcock came on stage wearing a Lenin cap and a British redcoat jacket, while fellow singer/guitarist Craig Strickland was wearing a frilly shirt that looked like it came from France in the 1800s. This was a bit boring, since it's already been done by the likes of The Libertines, and it didn't bode well for what was ahead.

While one shouldn't judge a band solely on their image, We Are The Take's songs aren't much better, either. Try and imagine if The Waking Eyes were an emo band trying to be an art-rock group. While they attempted to be theatrical and sang their hearts out, that didn't make up for their boring sound, and it was nice when they were finally finished.

The Waking Eyes' Holding On To Whatever It Is was one of my favourite releases of 2008. Its arty indie pop songs are all thoroughly enjoyable, yet I've somehow managed to go without seeing them live until now despite them playing many Toronto shows while they lived in the city for three months at the end of last year.

The band's impressive performance consisted entirely of songs from Holding On To Whatever It Is. Dual frontmen Rusty Matyas and Matt Peters traded off on guitars and keyboards throughout the set, which showed off their musicianship and myriad influences from start to finish. Drummer Steve Senkiw did an excellent job of keeping the band in time, while bassist Joey Penner's bass solos showed off his skills.

Matyas sang so loudly at times that you thought his voice would break, but it didn't. He stomped and jumped around the stage with his guitar, putting on a show, while Peters and Penner fed off his energy.

The Waking Eyes' music is much more complicated than it sounds. Holding On To Whatever It Is is a very layered, thick record (despite its constantly upbeat sound) and the songs display influences as disparate as The Beatles, jazz, Bach and electronica.

This all came across in a live environment and the band were more creative with the songs on stage. "Holding On To Whatever It Is" opened the show, and the band drew out its introduction so they could raise the tension in the air before its bouncy, indie rock verses began. Matyas also injected a bit of free jazz into the song when he picked up a trumpet and began to blow it with abandon towards the end of the track.

"Clap Clap," new single "Keeps Me Coming Back," the Beatle-esque "Wolves At The Door" and the crowd-pleasing "All Empires Fall" anchored a thoroughly enjoyable set.

Just a tip to Toronto audience members: It's probably not a good thing to shove photographers who are working near the front of the stage or to put your hands in front of their lenses to try and stop them from taking pictures. It's also not good for you to call them "leeches" and harass them throughout a gig just because they're in front of you. To the very poorly behaved young man who did this throughout the Arkells' set: this only made you look like a total douchebag, soured the mood and made everyone around you hate you.

Though The Waking Eyes were great, it's highly likely they were probably taking notes when Arkells bounded on stage and began to pound the shit out of it. The Hamilton band have only just released their Jackson Square debut, but, live, they played as if they're a far more veteran band.

"Pullin' Punches" started things off, and the audience began singing along to the incredibly catchy "John Lennon" thereafter. Arkells played every track from Jackson Square with the exception of "I'm Not The Sun." This is presumably because the track is a slow one and wasn't suited for the kind of vibe the band wanted to project. Another song, which may be called "Coffee," was also played.

While the aforementioned "John Lennon," "No Champagne Socialist," "Deadlines" and the set-closing "Oh, The Boss Is Coming!" got the crowd singing along, they ultimately failed to get the audience moving. Guitarists Max Kerman and Mike DeAngelis, bassist Nick Dika and keyboardist Dan Griffin jumped and bounced around on stage while drummer Tim Oxford held things down behind his kit, but the energy failed to translate off stage, which is something the Arkells will have to work on for future gigs. If Arkells can hone their audience participation skills, they could be Canada's next big band.

Arkells returned for an encore of "The Ballad Of Hugo Chavez" and brought members of The Waking Eyes and We Are The Take on stage for an impromptu cover of The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down." It was a thoroughly enjoyable way to end the night.

Here's what The Waking Eyes played:

"Holding On To Whatever It Is"
"Get Me To The Doctor"
"Run Through The Fire"
"Clap Clap"
"Digital Glue"
"Trouble On The Patio"
"Keeps Me Coming Back"
"Masters Of Deception"
"Wolves At The Door"
"All Empires Fall"

Here's what the Arkells played:

"Pullin' Punches"
"John Lennon"
"Heart Of The City"
"The Choir"
"Tragic Flaw"
"No Champagne Socialist"
"Deadlines"
"Coffee"
"Abigail"
"Blueprint"
"Oh, The Boss Is Coming!"
"The Ballad Of Hugo Chavez" (encore)
"Don't Let Me Down" (encore)