HANDSOME FURS HATE THIS CITY

Handsome Furs w Silver Springs
July 31, 2007
Lee's Palace

This heat in retarded. I chose the wrong week to be on vacation and in the city (I was out in cottage country last week, hence the lack of posts). Met up with Ang for sushi at Sushi On Bloor prior to the show. It was air conditioned, a pleasant change from my place. Arrived at Lee's at 9pm, the place was still empty, which let us get a great spot near the stage.

Silver Springs were up first. Named after the a Fleetwood Mac song that was left off Rumours, SS is the love child of Samir Mallal, close friend of Dan and Alexi of Handsome Furs. The band has apparently only been together for a month or so, and have only played a handful of shows. It kind of shows, the band still seem to be finding their legs, but the tunes are there (check out the two tracks on their myspace page, I really like Kingdom Underground). Samir sounds like a young, hip Springsteen, and shines as a front man, and the tunes are reminiscent of a poppy Brian Jonestown Massacre, fuzzing guitars, droney synths and under produced, tinny drums.

The night belonged to Dan and Alexi. I have been itching to see them since first hearing Plague Park. I love the album, but seeing it live was a totally new experience, the drum machine/beats were harsh and assaultive (maybe because I was standing in front of the speaker stack), and Dan's guitar and delivery were more aggressive. The interaction between the two was adorable, they announced that they just got married (I think he said in Omaha, and that this tour has been their honeymoon), and they seem to really love playing together. They played the entire album and also did a Tom Petty cover for the encore. Tons of highlights, I loved Dead + Rural, Dan explained that it was about being beaten up in high school for wearing a Sebadoh t-shirt. The song turned the show into a full on rave up, people were dancing like crazy (which is somewhat surprising, I didn't think the album was as danceable as it was live). Also loved Handsome Furs Hate This City (not about Toronto, but Vancouver), What We Had and Snake On The Ladder. Handsome Furs are a perfect example of everything that is good about music in 2007, musicians are pushing the boundaries, incorporating different elements from a variety of genres and creating music that sounds fresh and new. I'm really surprised Plague Park didn't get nominated for the Polaris award. It would have been my pick.