Fortnight Music presents evening of local favourites
Local favourites Lowlands performed at eBar on Friday, Nov. 28, with Toronto’s Rival Boys and Dirty Frigs. With tunes ranging from high-energy indie pop to moody, atmospheric roots-folk, the eBar was treated to one of Guelph’s eminent groups as well as two exciting Toronto acts.
Rival Boys, first on stage, are a Toronto-based trio that performs high-energy power pop, performing material mostly from their recent Ice Storm EP. With brother and sister Lee (bass/violin/vocals) and Graeme (guitar, vocals) Rose, and drummer Sam Sholdice, the trio performs powerfully honest music, specifically in Lee’s incredible voice and energetic stage presence. There is a certain power in Rival Boys’ melodies themselves, and how they relate to the distinctive voices of the Roses. This urgency and beauty, in tandem with their intense stage presence, is hard to look away from and easy to devote the entirety of one’s attention – if not just to see how easily Lee Rose jumps from bass to violin, all while playing with bass-synth pedals at her feet.
Dirty Frigs, also from Toronto, took the stage shortly after Rival Boys’ set. With a gloomy but rhythmically-punctuated sound, their music is, at times, a bit like if XTC had a gloom-rock edge, with high-energy songs underscored by a sense of darkness and evocative, eerie presentation. And what a presentation – lead singer Bri Salmena, for their final tune of the set, walked through the crowd like an apparition – her ethereal, Jehnny Beth-esque (Savages) tenor bellowing through the crowd with crushing power and conviction. If anything, I heard the most murmurs about their incredible set during the rest of the evening. They had never played in Guelph before, so I, for one, really hope they come back soon.
Lowlands closed the night to a packed room at around 12:30 – they never seem to fail at filling a room when playing in their hometown, and an enthusiastic crowd welcomed material from their second LP, titled Huron. While generally straight-ahead and fairly monochromatic folk-rock, there are flourishes of a darker, more far-reaching gothic Americana in Lowlands’ work, as well as a live delivery that is picturesque in its execution with pounding, primal drumming, and richly gorgeous banjo and slide guitar tones.
Overall, Dirty Frigs was really the band to see that evening – full of rawness, evocative textures and live intensity, marking a very welcomed Guelph debut. Though all three bands put on excellent performances, they in particular were certainly the talk of the venue. Here’s hoping we see more of them.