Concert Photos and Review: The Darcy's , Songs From A Room , Arietta , Oh No Forest Fires @ The Horseshoe Tavern -- 01.23.2010

All good things come to an end. Thus is the harsh reality for Oh No Forest Fires and their fans. For the last couple of years this band has been tearing up the local stages with their intense and energetic live show.

In-Flight Safety, Oh No Forest Fires @ The Horseshoe Tavern

In-Flight Safety @ The Horseshoe Tavern
Originally uploaded by vasquezr


In-Fligth Safety @ The Horseshoe Tavern
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

I'll be honest. I was waving back and forth about going to this show. After listening to the new songs from "We are an empire, My Dear" which is really quite good I just didn't get the feeling that I was going to be "rocked". I decided to go based on the fact that one of the openers was Toronto's own Oh No Forest Fires and they were sure to provide that feeling.
My assumption couldn't be farther from the truth. From the time In-Flight Safety took the stage it was evident that their sound was much more powerful that what you hear on their album. Once again I repeat this album really very quite good, lovely in fact but much more subdued than the live show. The band played songs mostly from their latest release and surprised and delighted me and the crowd with this full sound that you would expect from a "bigger" more well known band. This made it all the more special since it really had the feeling of a big band playing a small venue.
Front man John Mullane also made a point to move up closer to the crowd a few times in the performance and at one point allowed a fan to do some strumming on his guitar at the end of his set. (After doing some surfing I found out that the person doing the strumming was actually another of Toronto's bloggers "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans"). The band came out for a couple of encores one of which included a cover of Midnight Oil's "Beds are Burning" which completely blew away the crowd. As I sit here writing this I'm listening to the bands myspace songs wondering why I haven't purchased their new cd. This is one time I was more than glad to be wrong.


In-Fligth Safety @ The Horseshoe Tavern
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

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Oh No Forest Fires:


On No Forest Fires @ The Horeshoe Tavern
Originally uploaded by vasquezr
So here it is the band that pushed me off the fence in my debate on attending this show. What can I say I love watching these guys play live. Their energy is boundless, their songs are great, Front man Rajiv's banter is always fun. And hey they are climbing the CBC R3-30 indie chart ! Oh No Forest Fires proved to be a great opener for the night rocking the early crowd with their performance. I had only one issue with their set... it was too short.

It was a special night. One of those when you are just glad you went.

Oh No Forest Fires , Dinosaur Bones, Still Life Still, Arietta @ Lee's Palace

Oh No Forest Fires @ Lee's Palace
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Great night of local rock bands. Lee's Palace hosted a Friday night with four local indie rock bands.

Oh No Forest Fires:
Ok, let me start off by saying that I really, really, really, really, really like this band. So I hope this doesn't come of as being too over the top. Oh No Forest Fires consists of Rajiv Thavanathan, Brock Swanek, Matt Del Buono and Adam Nimmo (and friends, to many to list) out of Toronto. Their sound is some kind of indie math pop rock fusion filled with starts, stops, edgy hooks and sweet slow melodies that grow and build leaving you entertained and fully engaged.
Their live show is that and much more. Frontman Rajiv Thavanathan possesses the boundless energy of a dancing electron. My brother in law once described him as a Rock n' Roll Tornado and I quite agree. What's more by the end of the show the rest of the band seem to catch the fever and the chaos ensues. They're a fun band with great sound. And a must see.
On a side note: I've been listening to their EP "A War On Geometry" alot as of late.
There is a special place in my heart for "New Cove Road Back Home" not only because I love the violin in it, but also because I live in Barrie and work in Toronto and quite often it feels like I spend all day on the 400 highway too.

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Dinosaur Bones:

Dinosaur Bones @ Lee's Palace
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

This is a band I just seem to keep missing. I was glad to catch them playing Lee's this night. I wasn't able to stay for the whole set but what I did hear was quite promising and I'll make sure to catch them again soon.

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Still Life Still:

Still Life Still @ Lee's Palace
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

I had seen Still Life Still once before opening for The Kaiser Chiefs @ The Mod Club. Having heard a few songs on their myspace page I was quite excited to see them live. Their sound seemed to be off and was not quite indicative of what I thought they could be like live. On the strength of their myspace songs and being on a great local band bill I was quite glad to give them another chance. I found this performance to be a hell of a lot better and quite entertaining. Their vocals remind me of some early Sloan back when I liked them more. I'm quite eager to see and hear more from them.

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Arietta:

Arietta @ Lee's Palace
Originally uploaded by vasquezr

Another band with a great track on myspace "We Were All Invincible". They played a solid set. I'll be looking for their release and next shows.