Handsome Furs @ CMW 2009

Horseshoe Tavern

Toronto, ON

on Mar 13 2009

Jen White (CHARTattack)

03/14/2009 1:25pm

Background / Composition:
The husband/wife duo of Wolf Parader Dan Boeckner on vocals/guitar and Alexei Perry on synths/drum machine/vocals play dance-fuelled indie rock sure to make you move. There's a lot of buzz surrounding these two, and it's definitely well warranted.

Grade: 95

Comment:
Wow. These two play with such sheer intensity and urgency that not only did a sweaty dance party break out at the front of the stage, but even those watching attentively from the very back of the 'Shoe were bobbing their heads — quite the feat for a Toronto crowd.

Achievement of Rock 'n' Roll Expectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: G
Pronunciation: E
Stage Presence: E
Stage Banter: E
Image: E
Appearance: E
Use Of Stage: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Handsome Furs owned the stage, which is no small feat considering there were only two of them up there. The chemistry between the two was electrifying, especially when they would catch eyes with each other during songs and smile as they played. While there wasn't a lot of stage banter, the married couple did introduce each other as "my wonderful husband" and "my lovely wife," which was pretty cute. The duo also seemed taken aback with Toronto's warm welcome and thanked the crowd profusely throughout their entire set.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: E
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
They whipped the crowd into a sweaty frenzy with an explosive set, which was comprised of songs from 2007's Plague Park and rocked even harder with tracks from their recently released Face Control, including the title track, single "I'm Confused" and the electrifying "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything." The audience was entirely enraptured throughout their entire performance.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: E
Problem Solving: E
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: E
Haircut: E
Indie Rock Footwear: E
Nods To Disposible Fashion: E
Cool Equipment: E
Level Of Inebriation: E
Actual Ability: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/Next Step:
Perry and Boeckner have hipster rockstar chic down to a "T." Boekner is rocking an awesome haircut, and Perry looked especially hot in her outfit, with long, jangly silver earrings that bounced around as she headbanged and jumped about.