The Naked and Famous + Winter Gloves – La Sala Rossa – 08.10.11
Opening act Winter Gloves took stage and got the crowd buzzing with energy right off the bat. You could tell these boys were happy to be back performing in their native 514 homespot. With some new tunes off their newly released Heart Out EP, and some tunes from both of their newer albums, All Red and their debut album, About a Girl, these guys got the crowd clapping and dancing along for almost an hour straight. Staying true to their roots, they topped off their set with their signature synth heavy, tambourine hefty tune “Let Me Drive”. Though these guys have Winter in their band’s name, they were nothing short of hot on Wednesday night.
After a short break and some very welcomed air conditioning, the crowd was able to quench their thirst with cold beers in preparation for the main act of the night. Before most could catch their breath, The Naked and Famous took stage and got the crowd romping with excitement. Welcomed by roars of cheers, The Naked and Famous wasted no time and got right to the nitty gritty of their strong synth beats and chirpy shoegaze tunes. Lead by the mysterious Thom Powers and effervescent Alisa Xayalith, The Naked and Famous played mostly tracks off their notorious album Passive Me, Aggressive You. They also gave a sneak peak to some tracks that will be on their soon to be released EP. With feet stomping, sweat pouring, and hands clapping, this was truly an epitome of Montreal’s summer music buzz. What really got the sweltering crowd going were the N&F’s epic tracks “Punching In a Dream”, “No Way”, and as their encore finale, the legendary and long awaited “Young Blood”. For a few last words, Powers made his best attempt at speaking in Francais with his New Zealand accent, saying The Naked and Famous have fallen in love with Montreal, and don’t hope to, but WILL be back in Montreal very soon. - Sarah Touyz
The Naked and Famous
Winter Gloves
