Folly & The Hunter – Il Motore – 05.03.11
The venue was sweetly decorated; with Christmas lights and streamers along the ceiling. The stage had pink-hued balloons – matching the album’s artwork – intertwined with the instruments and performers. This warm atmosphere permeated the crowd and those on stage were warmly received.
First up was Brad Barr with a brilliant set that featured not just originality and skill, but a spool of thread. One of the most interesting things I have seen musically in a long time is how, before beginning his set, he wrapped string around the bridge of his guitar. A curious move, and one might incorrectly assume it is a quirky pre-show ritual of some kind. What a surprise it was when Barr began to play, and slowly pulled on the wound-up thread with his right hand while the left manipulated the fretboard. It produced a captivating sound that I have never heard before, that added distinctive depth to the songs. It makes me think about how new instruments are made: when an artist is not satisfied with the tools available and needs to invent a new way to colour their expression.
Rae Spoon took the stage afterwards, and I could feel more people move towards the front of the room as he engaged the crowd to sing along (and make wolf sounds, of course!). Cute banter towards the audience was interspersed between the folk-pop tunes. I often enjoy when artists introduce their material or explain the story behind it, whether it is silly (“Leonard Cohen’s House”) or serious (“Off the Grid”) in nature. Stage presence and awesome synth aside, what really draws in the listener to this act is Rae’s sweet sincere voice.
Finally, little Il Motore was packed and the audience was excited for Folly and the Hunter to play songs from their debut Residents LP in what was their first ever live performance. And with all members in tow, and they did not disappoint! The cast of this bilingual band is brimming with talent and they were genuine onstage. Their music has a wonderful flowing air-like quality that slowly builds up in intensity. Navigating between the balloons, the members occasionally traded places, voices and instruments like a coordinated little family. Maybe I am biased for certain sounds, but it is such a delight to hear banjo, cello and even a glockenspiel so well integrated into these indie-folk pieces. I am sure the crowd appreciated how well crafted and arranged the material was, because it translated so smoothly in live performance. Each element in their sound was complementary, from the vocal harmonies, to the piano-cello duets, nothing was extraneous and it all came together as a completed puzzle. Folly and the Hunter gave this Montreal audience a lot to be proud of, especially when lovely vocals sang references to 514 locations.
– Joni Shuchat
**Our photographer had his car broken into Saturday night, and his camera stolen. We would like to thank Matthieu Paradis for sending us these photos.**
Folly & The Hunter
Photography by Mathieu Paradis
