Tags archives: Broken Social Scene

  • Toronto's Broken Social Scene closed out the band's first tour in many years last night at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, New Jersey.  The show which lasted around 2 hours and spanned their vast music catalogue, highlighted the strengths of a band that clearly loves playing together.  The beauty in what they do comes through in how they seamlessly work through songs that range from indie rock, ska,  experimental jazzy numbers and even punk, but there are no limitations. They can also do the heavier, guitar driven classic jam as well.  Although the band's studio productions are at a high level, they are one of those bands that you have to see live.  With as many as 9 or 10 players on stage (including a horn section), it could be quite challenging to replicate some of their intricate productions, but they were 100% in sync throughout the show with a consistent energy and enthusiasm that shined throughout their performance. One of the highlights of the evening was the first live performance of "Mouth Guards of the Apocalypse" from their latest album "Hug of Thunder" which was released with very positive reviews in July, 2017.   This pretty much set the tone for an upbeat, joyous crowd that appreciated getting to see a band of this caliber at the Wellmont Theatre. The band admitted that they didn't know what to expect, but were very pleased with the venue and crowd.  I have to say it was a pleasure to see how much the band was enjoying the moment. Personal highlight[...]
  • With the weather forecast calling for temperatures in the upper 90's on Friday, we did our best to prepare for an all day event in the sweltering NYC summer heat.  But upon entering the venue, it was clear that the organizers of the Panorama Festival planned appropriately for our day.  With many free water kiosks, tents and air conditioned art & music areas, it was easy to cool down if you were feeling overwhelmed by the oppressive heat. And although it's not so easy to get to Randall's Island, our timing was very good, and as we walked in Here We Go Magic was just starting to play in the huge tent to the north side of the venue.  I was happy to finally here the band live. Some years ago I interviewed Luke Temple, but lost touch with the band's more recent happenings.  They had a decent crowd for the early part of the day, and although they apologized for some technical difficulties, we were impressed with their set. As we made our way over to the main stage, we could hear Algier's set was already in full swing.  Algier's set was only 30 minutes, but their powerful, dark soulful sound was evident throughout.  While listening we were able to cool down over at the American Express spot.  We snapped together some complimentary sunglasses and enjoyed some refreshments for a bit before heading back to the pavilion to hear Preservation Hall Jazz Band. A rather large, enthusiastic crowd was now gathered and grooving to some of the best New Orleans style jazz you can fi[...]