Image courtesy the Hidden Cameras

By DCist Contributor Dan White

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.