The Coast / The Bicycles / David Martel / The Elwins
Sneaky Dee’s, Toronto, ON December 6
By Heather Parry

After a hectic year of constant touring, local boys the Coast could be forgiven for relaxing a little at their last show of the year and first home gig in a long while. The presence of three support acts suggests that maybe they’re looking for an easy gig, and it’s soon clear that there’s enough talent on show tonight for them not to worry about impressing too much.

The simple, funk-infused ’60s pop of the Elwins set the bar high from the start, with standout track “Larry Pastorus” garnering them a warm enough reception to replace their evident nerves with well-deserved confidence. Montreal singer-songwriter David Martel took things up a notch, supplementing guitar and cello with layers of his own voice to create startlingly powerful songs. Though it sounds horribly pretentious, he has the talent to back up the idea, and used it to great effect beatboxing into the mic to create a makeshift drum loop.

The Bicycles then hijacked the gig before it got too serious; storming the stage with two tambourines and all the unashamed pop fun you could wish for. Like an unlikely amalgamation of the Eagles and the B-52’s, this band created bouncy pop tunes with an American feel, but got away with such blatant musical inbreeding because they’re clearly having so much damn fun themselves.

Though the fans now packing out Sneaky Dee’s were already drunk on great music as well as liquor, the Coast thankfully chose not to rest on their laurels and pulled out a set of crowd-pleasers that didn’t disappoint, going far beyond the quality necessary to make this crowd even happier. Dragged back onstage for a short encore, the boys basked in the love of their local crew before melting off the stage, looking utterly exhausted but very happy to be back in Toronto.

Glasvegas / Rich Hope
Amiable and talented though he was, Rich Hope couldn’t fool Vancouverites hoping for Carl Barât. Barât, the scheduled opener, had been detained at the border (reasons “unforeseen,” according to a posted sign), and so the local blues/rockabilly troubadour filled in for the former Libertine and Dirty ...Read More
Rotting Christ / Mantic Ritual / Epicurean / Panzerfaust
Short but brutally sweet, Rotting Christ’s latest visit to Toronto produced the ideal concert outcome — leaving the audience craving more. Prompt arrivals were met with the militant pagan black metal of Mississauga’s Panzerfaust, kicking off an intense but efficient progression of bands. ...Read More
M for Montreal
Le Guess Who?
AC/DC / The Answer
Alan Licht, Aki Onda & Michael Snow
Bishop Allen
Bring Me the Horizon / The Ghost Inside
Franz Ferdinand / Born Ruffians
Hank and Lily / Ghostkeeper / The Secretaries
Hello Beautiful / Hotel Royal
Human Highway / The Magic / Giant Hand / Ennuie
Metallica / Lamb of God / The Sword
Monotonix
Neil Young / Wilco
Rise Against / Thursday
Sinoia Caves
Teenanger / Holy Cobras / The Bang Bangs
The Magic Christian / Gord Lewis & Dave Rave
Titan / Indian Ocean
Wanda Jackson
Woods of Ypres / Musk Ox / Eclipse Eternal / Piledriver / Detsorgsekalf / Endorphins / Into The Void
Do Make Say Think - Other Truths
Though they've never been predictable, twisting and turning down a veering path of whatever post-rock is supposed to be, Do Make Say Think strike a reflective tone on the wondrous Other Truths. By their own reckoning, Do Make's previous acclaimed record, You, You're a History in Rust, ... Full Review
King Khan
Montreal ex-pat King Khan has led a classically "rock'n'roll" lifestyle since leaving his home at 17, legally changing his name from Erich Khan to Blacksnake, and eventually relocating to Berlin. Since then, he's become renowned worldwide for his various garage, punk and soul projects, including the big-band soul project King Khan and the Shrines and his collaborative duo with Mark Sultan, the King Khan and BBQ Show.... Read More
Ian McCulloch of Echo & the Bunnymen
They don't call him Mac the Mouth for nothing. What was planned as an in-depth conversation about Echo & the Bunnymen with front-man Ian McCulloch, turned into mostly listening to the Mouth go to work in a brief 20-minute phone conversation.... Read More
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the February 2009 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front Five  •  Points  •  Film commentary  •  Questionnaire  •  Readers Poll  •  Release Dates  •  Timeline  •  Videogames  •  Conversations • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  No Future  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews  •  Videogame Reviews • Music School --> Label Life  •  Meet & Greet  •  Need to Know  •  Where I play • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues