Last Friday and Saturday nights, the Horseshoe played host to a double bill of epic proportions. Both The Deadly Snakes and The Constantines have done hard time helping to make Toronto’s indie-rock scene the sizable threat that it now is. Both bands released new records back in the fall, and before embarking on separate North American tours, the two-night stand at the ‘Shoe was a homecoming celebration for everyone who loves their soulful home-grown garage rock turned up to 11.
Friday, January 27
Guelph-cum-Toronto quintet The Constantines were up first on Friday, and launched straight into the first two tracks off their latest release, Tournament of Hearts. Despite a few dropped drumsticks, the Cons had the attention of every head in the room, using their force-of-nature-like presence to surround and captivate the crowd.
Lead singer Bry Webb demonstrated the enormous range of his gruff yet powerful voice on the quiet/loud “Insectivora” and the Springsteen-esque “Working Full Time,” which also featured backups by members of Lullaby Arkestra and Do Make Say Think.
Also impressive was sometimes-vocalist Steve Lambke’s best song to date, “Thieves” (also from Tournament), a dark and bouncy ode to sweating through summer in the city. Although his vocals are decidedly weaker than Webb’s, “Thieves” is without a doubt an awesome tune that thrives from a subtle, beautiful guitar hook buried deep in the driving verses.
Near the end of their opening night set, the Cons lit the room on fire with their anthem of urban alienation, “Nighttime/Anytime.” The bigger-than-big bassline delivered by Dallas Wehrle seemed to tower over the audience, only to be cut down by the squealing, stuttering guitars and Webb’s throaty growl.
Next up were Toronto’s most authentic garage rock outfit, The Deadly Snakes. After a decade on the scene, the Snakes have finally made a move towards mainstream success, signing with indie powerhouse Paper Bag Records and releasing Porcella last year to critical acclaim.
Fronted by two venomous heads, guitarist Andre Ethier and organist Max McCabe-Lokos, the Snakes played a good mix of new material and old songs from their two previous albums. They also played a classic that never made it onto any of their albums called “No Sympathy,” which Max declared to be his favourite Deadly Snakes song of all time.
While new songs like “Gore Veil” and “High Prices Going Down” sounded much more alive than they do on the record, and old favourites like “I Can’t Sleep” and “Oh My Bride” certainly got the crowd moving, the band came off a little sloppy and never really caught fire.
Saturday, January 28
The Snakes must have realized that Friday’s show was a bit diluted, because they opened the Saturday show with a string of pitch-perfect tunes that obviously aimed to impress.
Owning the crowd, the Snakes got a huge reaction from fan favourite “I’m Leaving You.” As Ethier reached the end of this creeping ditty about a dirty breakup, the entire room was singing with him: “Just let me out of here, ’cause I’m leaving you one way or another, dear!”
The earlier time slot worked wonders for the band’s energy-songs that seemed somewhat flat the night before were now wrought with new zeal. At one point Ethier improvised a line that proved prophetic: “You can ask Dan Burke about half a pound, ’cause high prices are going down!”
Anyone who’s spent any time in the murkier side of the local indie scene already knows all about Dan Burke, but for those of you who haven’t, suffice it to say that he’s the most infamous club booker this fair city has ever seen.
As the Snakes capped off a strong opening set, a mysterious figure took the stage. Clad in a hooded red winter parka and wearing mirrored sunglasses (at night) people who knew him quickly realized that the figure was none other than the aforementioned Burke.
Taking the microphone, he confessed: “I’m 42, I’ve done more drugs than a housing complex,” and immediately began to strip (seriously) as the Rolling Stones’ “Bitch” pumped through the PA. Once he’d shed all but his blue jeans, the topless Burke luckily stopped there and introduced The Constantines to wild applause.
In step with the Snakes’ improved performance, The Cons also bettered their show the second time around. While relying on a similar opening to their set, the band seemed as cohesive and unstoppable as ever. Resurrecting early standards like “Justice” and “Young Offenders” (injecting a line from Neil Young’s “Tonight’s the Night”), the Cons showed how they can take their own material to a whole new level when performing it live.
While offering captivating renditions of new songs like “Love in Fear” and “Soon Enough,” it was the jaw-dropping bombshell of “Shine a Light” that got the crowd flailing in all directions. Its ominous, oozing bassline appeared immediately out of a wall of sound to catch the fervent audience by surprise.
The encore saw the Cons and Snakes collaborate on covers by Bob Seger and Spencer Davis while joined on stage by Gentleman Reg and a still shirtless Dan Burke (doing his best Raw Power-era Iggy Pop impression). Ethier dubbed the combo the “working-class social scene”-an obvious comparison to a certain other rock band from Toronto.
Multiple-night stands by bands has almost become a given in this town lately, but this double bill where both bands stepped up their game from one night to the next left their fans with a strengthened faith in rock ‘n’ roll, and the weakened eardrums to prove it.
The Constantines/Deadly Snakes
Horseshoe Tavern
Jan. 27 & 28, 2005
Rating: VVVV
