I BREAK THE LAW ONCE EVERY WEEK TO FEEL YOUR TOUCH

Voxtrot w Au Revoir Simone & Favourite Sons
June 8, 2007
Sneaky Dee's
All-Ages Show

The first time I heard Voxtrot's debut EP, I felt like I had stepped back in time to Grade 10, the time in which I first discovered The Smiths and fell in love with the loneliness and melancholy of Morrissey's songwriting. I think it was a mix of living in a new small town, feeling isolated from everything and everyone I knew and being uncomfortable in my own skin. The Smiths made me feel that I wasn't alone in my feelings and that there were others out there that felt the way I did. More specifically, Voxtrot's The Start Of Something channeled Moz/Marr and the gang that no one else had ever done (for me).

I've been waiting to see Voxtrot for over a year, their first Toronto show last April fell on the weekend I was moving. As soon as their NXNE showcase was announced, Fern and I got tickets, first for the 19+ show, then we decided to sell those to attend the all-ages early show so we could have the option of hitting the Handsome Furs showcase afterwards (which didn't happen, we decided to hold off until their headlining show at the end of July). Arrived at the venue at 7pm, thinking that we'd miss at least one of the openers, which wasn't the case. The show started late. Au Revoir Simone were up first. I have their album on my iPod and I must say that I enjoy them live much more than recorded. Their live set is much more upbeat, bouncy and fun. They had the first row of all-agers dancing up a storm (which was incredibly cute and endearing).




Next up was Favourite Sons from Brooklyn. First off, what the hell was up with their retarded long set up?? It was annoying and unprofessional, not to mention that it was eating up time that could have been better used to extend Voxtrot's set. I didn't like this band at all. They were boring and I just couldn't connect with any of their songs. The crowd didn't seem into it either. I know it's lame to put down a band and call them boring, but I can honestly say there was nothing at all appealing about their set.

Voxtrot began their set promptly at 8:50pm and right from the beginning had won me over. I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to love them live as much as I do on record. But I do. Lead singer/songwriter Ramesh Srivastava channels Moz in his way with words and also his stage presence. He's captivating and a charismatic front man in every sense of the word. And he really seems to love what he does. Their set was a good mix of material from their just released debut as well as crowd favourites from their three EPs. They played Kid Gloves (my fav track off their debut), Steven, Brothers and Sisters, The Start of Something and Raised by Wolves...and more that I can't quite recall. I lucked out in terms of where Fern and I were standing/sitting...we were right in front of the piano, so when Ramesh sat down to do Steven, I was able to grab a couple great shots. Overall, a really memorable show. I'm hoping that I get tickets for their Beautiful Noise taping, I'd like to see how they handle a larger venue and would kill to see them again.