Last Tuesday, Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto enchanted the audience as Majical Cloudz with their transfixing performance at Wrongbar. Concluding their tour with a mesmeric 70-minute set, the electro-indie tandem manned a minimalist set of a single microphone and a keyboard. Welsh, the duo’s singer-songwriter, powerfully delivered his emotive lyricism, and this intensity was enhanced by Otto’s whimsical and airy synths. Despite the intensity and conviction of his vocals, Welsh bridged the audience-artist barrier by welcoming the audience on stage, making his performance feel less like spectatorship and more like listening to a friend’s bedroom music project. Nonetheless, his delivery exceeded any amateur debut, warming the atmosphere even more so. Between songs, Welsh admirably took the time to acknowledge the crowd personally, either by pointing out the members “he spoke to earlier,” or even accepting a lipstick from a fan, saying, “we can’t be serious all the time,” then proceeding to put it on. By the end of the set the emotional honesty truly resonated as the duo’s lasting impression, endearing even those not accustomed to traditional indie. While Majical Cloudz may only be emerging here in Toronto, their talent, both from a vocal and instrumental perspective, is worth raising in conversations.
