Tune-Yards + Buke and Gass – La Sala Rossa – 13.05.11
It was pleasantly surprising to see an opening act get as much love as Pat Jordache received. Everyone in the room seemed so excited to see the Montreal act perform and it was absolutely refreshing to see people so enthralled by an opener. The band started their set with two of their members on drums which instantly created a grandiose intensity. They both seemed to be executing a perfectly synchronized routine which, quite honestly, was fascinating to watch. Lead singer, Patrick Gregoire’s voice bring to mind Joy Division’s singer, Ian Curtis, but the comparison stops there as Pat Jordache’s music is much more joyful and playful. They delivered an entertaining opening set which set the tone nicely for the rest of the evening.
Buke and Gass were up next and just by taking a look at the duo’s almost home-made looking instruments, it was no surprise that their music sounded the way it did. Their first song confirmed my presumption; their music was folky and certainly experimental, but always with a catchy turn. It was impressive to watch the two of them create a skillful layering of sounds which you would think was created by at least four people. They played most of the songs from their first album, Riposte, always adding twist and turns to their melodies. They seemed really comfortable during the whole performance and as Arone Dyer (Buke and voice) playfully mentioned at one point during the performance, as Aron Sanchez (Gass and drums) was talking to the audience: “I’ve never heard him speak so much during a show, we really love Montreal, you’re a great crowd!”, people starting screaming and applauding even louder. They ended their set in front of an ecstatic audience, ready for tUnE-yArDs to take the stage.
Merrill Garbus, aka tUnE-yArDs, appeared on stage not so long after, barefoot and dressed in a multicolored-feathered outfit. She was alone on stage, yet she seemed to fill the space completely with her fascinating presence. And that presence only grew as she started looping her voice for the first segment of “Hatari” from her first album BiRd-BrAiNs. As she created the beat on the two drums on her side, you could feel the audience become completely mesmerized by what was happening in front of them. It’s quite hard to explain her live performance and the magic she seems to create on stage. She continued with songs from her second album, w h o k i l l, her vibrant energy completely infecting everyone in attendance. At one point during “You Yes You”, the bassist and two saxophonists which had joined her previously all started jumping together and it was hard to resist jumping along. She played a few more song from her latest release before going back to her first album and as she played the first notes of “Fiya” on her ukulele, the whole crowd started cheering and singing along. Her performance of “Biznesss”, the first single from w h o k i l l, was absolutely amazing and full of life. She ended the show performing “My Country” in the encore, concluding an evening entertaining from the first minute to the last.
tUnE-yArDs
Buke and Gass
Pat Jordache
Photography by Amelia Robitaille
