We Are The City + Rah Rah + Aidan Knight – Casa Del Popolo – 08.03.11
I walked into the venue as an anticipating Aidan Knight was greeting an already populous crowd. I put my foot down and decided nothing was going to ruin my night when he started his set off with my so-far favourite song of his, “Friendly Fires“. He played another couple of his beautiful, cozy-feeling songs, complemented by the highly attentive crowd. Albeit, this got Aidan a little uneasy and feeling awkward so he asked the crowd if they had any questions, but no one did; they pretty much unanimously just wanted him to play more songs. Except for me; I obviously had to be the one to ask a question about the fluffy, stuffed white cat that was creepily sitting on an amplifier. Apparently it belonged to Rah Rah who were to play after him. Either way, this incited even more stage banter on Aidan’s part, which was very well received by the crowd. He mentioned how he usually has “a beard man, a tall man, a girl… and a French guy” playing with him, but that this time it’s “just geeky, nervous ol’ me… trying to feel all the sounds…” by his lonely self, but he was nonetheless endearing, terrific, and well-mannered, especially to the person who sneezed fittingly in the middle of his song “Knitting Something Nice”. Listen to his latest project Friendly Fires here, and his latest LP, Versicolour, here.
The three boys and three girls from Rah Rah took the stage soon after, had a quick sound-check, and went off like dynamite. Their set was an explosive mix of older and newer songs, and was nothing short of looking like a game of musical chairs; they fearlessly showed off their multi-instrumentalist assets by switching places every so often. If you’re wondering how insane this square-dance between band members was, let’s just say you would not have expected the earlier-on energetic drummer Erin Passmore, pop up in front of the keyboard all-of-a-sudden, and showcase her wonderful vocals during “Salty Cities”, or the graceful violinist Kristina Hedlund, sit herself behind the drum set and bash out during “Communist Man”. That was only to name a couple of the visually entertaining events that went on on-stage during Rah Rah’s performance… and yes, the creepy, fluffy white kitty was still there, hanging out and looking as pleased as an inanimate object can look. It’s nice to see what actually goes on when this band plays, because it’s impossible to know what they’re up to when you’re just listening to their records, so every show is pretty much an eye-opener for the audience as to how much of a collective effort their music really is.
I was truly enjoying how equally excited each act was when getting up on stage, so when We Are The City’s turn came up, it was obvious that they couldn’t wait to get their sound-check over with and get their own set started. They immediately incited the crowd to clap along with to the first song from their latest album, High School, called “Get Happy”, and then transitioned into “Happy New Year” which you can hear, right here (try repeating those last three words continuously, at high speed.) Their performance also included sparklers that guitarist Blake Enemark had partial difficulties lighting, but still managed to get started. To elaborate, High School is a side-project the guys were working on last summer, but with a different alias. It’s a hindsight vision of events that had happened to them back in their youth, some more shameful than others, encompassed in a collection of songs. Some of the stories were told during their set, and evoked quite a bit of laughter amongst the crowd, but we think it best to keep it to ourselves and you guys can experience it for yourselves next time the boys come around. Needless to say, the exuberant three-piece mostly focused on their new songs, but they did make sure to play a few of their older songs, like “There Are Very Tiny Beasts In The Ground”, “Time, Wasted”, and obviously, “Astronomers” from their 2009 release, In A Quiet World.
The amount of talent shown on Tuesday night was enough to rekindle my love for shows and music on the whole, and for that I am forever appreciative. I believe that many people felt the same way I did, and that we were all part of a very special moment that will linger in us for a good while. Yes, the cheese is totally necessary.
-Sarve A.
We Are The City
Rah Rah
Aidan Knight
Photography by Eli Larin
