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Morning Roundup: After the Snowfall Edition
Image courtesy the Hidden Cameras
The rise of Canada's indie music scene over the past decade has been formidable, to say the least. But its Achilles heel has been the tendency of some of its leading acts to take themselves a bit too seriously at times. Even the best pop music is still just ... pop music, and the Wagnerian sturm und drang of elements of the Montreal scene can get downright exhausting at times.
In contrast, the Hidden Cameras' Saturday night show at the Rock and Roll Hotel was a refreshing gust of unpretentious whimsy from Quebec's Ontario-based cousins. Primarily the project of lead singer Joel Gibb, the Cameras have developed a reputation over the past decade in Canada for over the top, theatrically goofy stage performances, replete with (among other extra-musical accoutrement) go-go dancers, strippers, and chorus singers.
This tour has taken them further afield from their longstanding fan base cities (this was their first time in D.C.), meaning smaller venues and a paired down live act comprised of only musicians. Still, the stage was packed with people on Saturday, especially as elements of openers Gentleman Reg (a project of longstanding Cameras collaborator Reg Vermue) rotated on and off stage constantly throughout the show.
Given this reputation for ridiculous showmanship, the Cameras' set began with appropriately absurd aplomb: they ascended the darkened stage wearing druid cloaks straight out of Spinal Tap, accompanied by melodramatic synth riffs. The set consisted of a large number of songs from their latest album, including an early performance of "In the NA," a frenetic pop song that is equal parts Belle and Sebastian, the Talking Heads, and Brendan Benson. As the show progressed, Gibb & co. drew on earlier, more acoustically driven tunes as well. One of the best was a catchy, raucous rendition of "Steal All You Can Motherfucker," from their debut album, Ecce Homo.
As the show progressed, the band's roots in 1960s pop sensibilities consistently shone through: xylophones and major key harmonic vocals were a standard through the night, and the cheerful, feel-good tone definitely matched the broader mood on stage; one got the sense that this band is in many ways also a large, well-functioning, healthy family. At points, Gibb would ask different band members from Gentleman Reg to the stage, like a kind father beckoning the kids to dinner. By the end of the set, the relatively small RNR stage was packed with upwards of a dozen people, banging out the encore with a pleasant cacophony of tambourines, xylophones, keys, strings, and drums. Additionally impressive was the musical depth of each player, with a near constant rotation of every member between guitar, bass, drums, and keys.
All in all, a must see for anyone in the mood for a sing-along for 'grown-ups' the next time they're in town.
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