Winter Gloves – Il Motore – 09.25.10
Saturday night’s show at Il Motore was truly a tribute to some of Montreal’s finest music coterie, and I knew it was going to be an epic show before I even arrived. The night started off with the charismatic gang, The Hoof and the Heel. Lead by front man Harris Shper and front lady Christine Hale, their performance was filled with warm jollified tunes that the H&H always deliver to a T. After seeing these guys perform 4 times, I can only compare them to a good bottle of wine – they keep getting better as time passes. With tunes fresh off their latest Fireworks EP, and familiar tunes from their previous And all the Tigers EP, the crowd gobbled them up and loved every minute of it. As anticipated, the song that really got the crowd going was the effervescent “Fireworks”. These Montrealers never fail to impress, and I’m sure Christine Hale won over more than a few hearts throughout the night with her lovely charm, talent, and smile.
After a brief pause, the wonderful boys of Winter Gloves finally took stage. Now, I’d be lying if I said I nonchalantly decided to hit up their concert, just as any other show. The truth is I’ve been anxiously waiting (some may even say stalking their Myspace) for the Montreal foursome for quite some time (ahem, 2 years) to make a comeback to Montreal. Many have been anticipating the return of Winter Gloves just as long as I have and this was clearly reflected Saturday night, seeing that the show was completely sold out and Il Motore was more packed than I have ever seen before.
The boys graced the stage, and spoke both French and English with their fellow Montrealers throughout the show. I for one was as giddy as a kid on Christmas, filled with excitement knowing I was about to experience something I’ve been waiting for so long. The second the electrifying, heavy synth based tunes filled the room, I could literally feel the densely powerful bass line run all the way up my cowboy boots to the tip of my head – truly an all body experience. Lead singer Charles F took complete charge on synth and guitar – not to mention he is one of the most zealous tamborounists out there, and super entertaining to watch (standing on his stool and playing his synth with his foot is just one of the few crazy things he did). Backed by Patrick Sayers on drums, Vincent Chalifour on bass and synths, and Nico Ormiston on guitar and glockenspiel, these boys got the whole venue dancing, clapping, and singing along to their one of a kind tunes. The songs that touched everyone’s musical souls were definitely “Factories”, and “Party People” off their debut album About a Girl. Other songs included “Plastic Slides” and “Strange Love” off their new album, All Red, which were welcomed by the crowd, though the they obviously reacted better to the songs they were more familiar with from the band’s earlier releases. The guys showed their love for Montreal by delivering a monumental performance, giving out free CDs to the audience, and leaving the crowd feeling jolted and invigorated – so much so they gave a double encore, which included a lovely duet performance of the classic tune “True Blue” with Christine Hale, and then ending with the stellar “Invisible”.
By the end of the night, the crowd at Il Motore was left feeling starry eyed. The boys welcomed those who wanted to chat at the end of the show at the merch table, where I was able to grab a couple of words with guitarist Nico Ormiston. When asked what the band has in plan for the next little while, he said they’re planning on touring the East side of North America for the next coming weeks, and really appreciated the love and support from all those who came out for the show. After a spectacular night I was sad to have it come to an end. On my way home I plugged my headphones into my Ipod and then…If you couldn’t already guess…I put on my Winter Gloves. – Sarah Touyz
Winter Gloves
The Hoof & The Heel
Photography by Kailey Diogo
