An Evening With Stars – eXcentris – Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Little Scream opened up the show and right from the start things were a little shaky. The members of the ‘world’s smallest band’, as she put it, weren’t playing as well as they usually did. One of the key members – the CD player – refused to play it’s part without skipping and her guitar refused to keep tune, nor could she hear it on stage. After these numerous technical difficulties, she stopped mid-song and announced that “this show is definitely the worst show I’ve ever done”. But even with all of the bumps along the way, it was still a nice performance. Although for a few songs she had a drummer, she managed to still create a full sound with a sort of shaky-shake on her foot, as she stomped the rhythm. Little Scream, dressed in her sequined leggings, feathered earrings, and naturally curly hair, stole the hearts of all the guys in the room with both her naturally gorgeous aura and mesmerizing voice.
‘A’ – the quirky husband and wife duo of Ariel and Andrew Whiteman, added a little variety to the night as they fired up the heat with their Middle Eastern, pedal-heavy tunes. The two played the most obscure and interesting rectangular, almost cardboard box-like instruments, known as ramkies. According to Amy Milan, they are looking for a band name! So send on over your band name ideas to the Stars myspace, and if your name is chosen, you will get to see these two play live for life.
Next, Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless took the stage as part of the indie dream pop band Young Galaxy. Although they played a short set, it was well received by all. Catherine’s performance was especially passionate and powerful. The band played a few of their own songs as well as a bonus for the audience, they played a cover of The Magnetic Field’s “The Book of Love”. What a treat!
Murray Lightburn of The Dears made a special guest appearance, treating the crowd to a song so new, it’s not even finished yet. Although he warned us repeatedly of the potential failure of the song, he was extremely successful in both its performance and sending the crowd into a hysterical laughter.
Finally, the moment everyone in attance had been waiting for, Stars stepped onto the flower-covered stage and plunged head first into their set. They played a lot of new material for the eager crowd, including “I Died So I Could Haunt You” (which included some awkward necrophilia talk) and “Dead Hearts”, which was dedicated to Douglas Cameron. There were other dedications throughout the night, however the one’s to the Vancouver Olympic Games committee, Queen Elizabeth II, and the junkies on the streets of Montreal had a hint of sarcasm. The crowd ate up everything the band played for them, and they just couldn’t get enough. As usual the immaculate vocals of Amy Milan and Torquill Campbell completed each other as well as peanut butter and jelly; there is no better combination. “Calendar Girl” and “What I’m Trying to Say” both had the whole crowd singing every word together in near-perfection. “Take Me To The Riot” drained enough energy out of both the crowd and the band with its high tempo, so that the calmer “One More Night” was the perfect show-closer. Stars put on a strong, heart-felt performance. Not only did they seem to love playing live again, but it was clear that they were extremely passionate about this show in particular, being a benefit for War Child, the worthiest of causes. I think it’s safe to say the night was an enormous success. – Amelia Robitaille
Stars
Murray Lightburn (of The Dears)
Young Galaxy
Andrew & Ariel Whiteman
Little Scream
Photography by David Gosselin
