Thu, Jul 9

THE WORLD PROVIDER, HANK and WET DIRT at the Boat Rating: NNN

A handful of people were on hand to witness the spectacle that is Wet Dirt, a Toronto four-piece led by Vancouver expat Robert Dayton. In a sparkly cat sweatshirt, Dayton hopped and hollered over rudimentary, art-informed garage rock, while Robin Fry’s dotty guitar lines added psychedelic flourishes. All four band members wore summer shorts, Fry’s complemented by turquoise socks that stopped mid-calf. It was hard to look away.

The Boat filled as Hank, another local band with a fun lead singer, took the stage. Like Dayton’s, Cab Williamson’s voice didn’t bowl us over, but we appreciated his British accent (a real one at that), wry wit, song style variation – garage rock to English pub balladry to girl-group pop – and the expert accompaniment of his five bandmates. 

Montreal trio the World Provider ended the night with short but sweet power pop plagued by bad sound.

CARLA GILLIS

Fri, Jul 10

BRADLEYBOY with CATL at the Dakota Rating: NNN

It was a good call on the part of Orono, Ontario-based one-man band Bradleyboy to partner up with Catl for his CD release. Both acts share a fondness for stripped-down early rock ’n’ roll and have fans who appreciate minimalist blues. 

Using a suitcase for a bass drum and working a hi-hat pedal with his other foot, Bradleyboy employs guitar, banjo and harmonica to create a thumping, throbbing pulse that’s complemented by his gravelly growl. His sparse arrangements leave no room for the mindless noodling that mars so much contemporary blues music. 

This is what makes Toronto’s Catl so refreshing, too. Catl, however, benefit from a drummer who adds rhythmic complexity and an organ player who adds tonal variation. Bradleyboy sounded a smidge monotonous by comparison. 

On the other hand, how many solo acoustic acts can get a packed bar shimmying on the dance floor?

BENJAMIN BOLES

HOLY FUCK with WINTER GLOVES as part of BEATS, BREAKS & CULTURE at Harbourfront Rating: NN

While this year’s Beats, Breaks & Culture festival was decidedly homegrown, Montreal’s Winter Gloves managed to get an opening slot at the picturesque waterfront amphitheatre.

The synth-heavy four-piece, led by songwriter Charles F., deliver pleasant electro-pop ditties, but there isn’t much here that the Postal Service didn’t put to bed in 2005. Inserting sampled (and organic) handclaps into every other song gets grating and makes the fun feel forced.

Holy Fuck aren’t as earnest. In fact, the krautrock-inspired experimentalists – driven by the busy knob-twisting hands of Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh – are in a spaced-out electronic music bubble onstage. The instrumentals cascade into each other, and there’s little crowd interaction. Though creatively potent, they’re not an ideal festival choice.

JASON KELLER

Sat, Jul 11

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE as part of BEATS, BREAKS & CULTURE at Harbourfront Rating: NNNN

The first two categories of Beats, Breaks & Culture were temporarily overlooked when Broken Social Scene used the festival to make amends for cancelling their summer-slated Olympic Island gig.

Harbourfront, which hadn’t seen such a fierce mob of fans and random onlookers since last summer’s Crystal Castles show, was packed to the boardwalk’s edge as Kevin Drew and gang appeared to a thunderous ovation.

Drew frequently referred to how BSS came through for Toronto after pulling the plug on their Island show because of the noisy IndyCar race. Sources tell me there’s more to the story, but who could nitpick when the vibe was so euphoric, especially when Feist, Amy Millan and Emily Haines came together on Anthems For A 17-Year-Old Girl. 

“We’re your hometown band!” Drew said. He’s right, and we’re pretty lucky to have them.

JK