Annual event features prog rock, dance rock, surf rock
This past weekend, the 2018 installment of Off the Floor Fest, organized by local promoter Brian Gillis, took over DSTRCT and Jimmy Jazz for two nights of loud, guitar-driven indie music. The Ontarion attended Saturday night’s show at DSTRCT.
Danny Don’t Surf, a new project by prolific local musician Tyson Brinacombe, opened the night with a sweaty set before Softside took the stage. Softside, the brainchild of guitarist Ian Bain, opened with a handful of tunes from last year’s Lower Hands EP before debuting some fresh material from the upcoming Luxury Lounge tape.
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On record, Bain plays all the parts himself. Live, he’s accompanied by a robust band, lending his slick, gloomy bedroom pop some extra heft. Bain traded starry, shimmering guitar parts with Dan Loughrin, while Adrien Potvin on bass and Jake Cadieux on drums held the low end steady. The new tracks added fresh tones to Softside’s palette, notably on the wry, jaunty “Uxbridge.” “A home is a home is a home / I miss Uxbridge,” sang Bain.
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The crowd hung back from the stage during Softside’s set, but the next band, Brampton-based Animatist, insisted they move up. Keeping the banter to a minimum, Animatist tore through an intense instrumental set of roaring, mathy prog, drawing heavily on their 2017 Face Club LP. Guitarist Brent O’Toole has taken some notes from Omar Rodríguez-López of The Mars Volta, both melodically and in terms of stage presence — O’Toole leapt and thrashed across the stage while nailing his parts in an invigorating performance.
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Danielle Fernandes’ saxophone melded with the howling guitars, and her onstage chemistry with O’Toole provided Animatist with a live dynamic to match their soaring instrumentals.
Finally, Toronto’s Future Peers took the stage for a set of anthemic, immaculate dance rock. While dual percussionists set the beat, frontman Luke Correia-Damude wailed and vamped, cloaked in shadows and lit only by a blazing “PEERS” sign and a wall of gorgeous video visuals orchestrated live by Guelph group VERSA.
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Their impressive set, unfortunately, was met with a slightly dwindling audience, perhaps the natural consequence of two shows running simultaneously — Bike Thiefs were due to go on at Jimmy Jazz across the street any minute at that point. Nevertheless, Correia-Damude made the best of the half-full dance floor by strutting out into the crowd and singing to audience members individually, bringing Off The Floor Fest to an intimate end.
Photo by Will Wellington/The Ontarion