The Constantines take The Garrison, Guerrilla Style

The Constantines - photo Evan Bender

In this age of twitter, blogs and online communities, it’s hard to keep anything a secret. That’s why, despite the conspiracy of silence surrounding the “surprise headliners” at Thursday night’s Tropics/Lullabye Arkestra show, it was fairly obvious who most people at the Garrison were there to see – the Constantines. In the midst of their three way-sold-out 10th Anniversary concerts at Lee’s Palace, the band adopted a much more intimate venue for a very special hometown show and the fans showed up in droves.

Still, barring a small but precocious gathering of early-comers awaiting the 8:30 doors, the concert started out relatively low key. That isn’t to say it wasn’t loud. Taking the stage first, Tropics unleashed a sonic assault on a relatively sparse crowd, making good use of an overzealous Garrison sound system, easy one of the most voluminous in Toronto.

Leaning heavily on his effects pedals and often playing in harmony with himself, Slim Twig managed to make more noise than anyone would expect from his 100 pound frame, all while Simone TB beat the shit out of the drums. Ending with a Thurston Moore-style feedback freakout, it instantly set the tone for what would turn out to be an extraordinary night of music.

Lullabye Arkestra - photo Evan Bender

By the time Lullabye Arkestra took the stage, no one bothered to avoid the elephant in the room. “We’re all here for one reason,” Justin Small deadpanned. “Lullabye Arkestra! Oh, and the Constantines.”

Small and his wife/bandmate Katia Taylor’s performance hammered in a point that Tropics had already made: Sometimes it’s the smallest bands that make the most noise. Bashing through a set of originals and covers that ran the gamut from deep sludge to heavy riffing to hardcore speed, the duo gave off its usual shambolic mix of chemistry, energy and sheer power, all while making metal-style bedroom eyes at each other. The easy highlight was the standout single “We Fuck The Night” with video star Slim Twig watching from the front of the stage, but the album tracks packed just as much of a punch.

With the crowd buzzing with anticipation (and perhaps a mild case of tinnitus), there was still one more act before the Constantines, the less-heralded other “surprise guest”, Vancouver’s Ladyhawk. Opting to use the small venue as a sounding board for some new material, the band was surprisingly flat despite a Constantines-indebted sound that should translate well to a live setting. The hard-rocking earnestness was there, but the hollow performance just didn’t fit the night’s aura of occasion.

No matter; as the Constantines got ready to take the stage, people were crowding as if it was a venue like Kool Haus or Sound Academy rather than the hipster-subdued confines of The Garrison.

There were some serious diehards in the audience, belting out every word, trying to start mosh pits and practising some true hero-worship. And from the first power chord to the final guitar squeal, it was obvious this was who they were playing for. A band that exudes sincerity of both approach and image, it’s hard to look down on the Cons from a critical high-horse, but in case some notebook-yielding music writer felt tempted (ahem), frontman Bry Webb disarmed the approach by sarcastically using the band’s most commonly spouted comparison on themselves – “it’s like Fugazi meets Springsteen.”

Without the media hoopla of the much-hyped Lee’s Palace shows, the band was able to reach into its back catalogue and perform for the superfans, leaving it all on the stage, in some cases literally dropping to the floor for boisterous solos. Anytime a band can play for a crowd loaded with fellow musicians like Sebastien Grainger, members of Quest For Fire, The Ghost Is Dancing, Castlemusic, $100, Little Girls and Foxfire, it’s going to be a special show.

Despite the familial atmosphere, the Constantines were as musically tight as ever, seamlessly transitioning from huge crescendos to spare instrumental bridges, even while battling the pleased hollering of the audience. The only real moment of musical looseness came during the band’s over-the-top blowout encore, a singalong rendition of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” featuring all three opening bands. It wasn’t a hip choice, sure – certainly not Fugazi meets Springsteen – but it was fun as all hell. For a ten dollar small-venue show, it’s hard to ask for more.

But keep it quiet. It’s a secret.

- Richard Trapunski

Lullabye Arkestra - photo Evan Bender

Tags: Constantines, Ladyhawk, Lullabye Arkestra, Slim Twig, The Garrison, Tropics

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 19th, 2009 at 3:43 am and is filed under ALBUM/SHOW REVIEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.