Tuesday night gigs can be a tough sell to the general public. At this point, it seems like forever since last weekend, and even longer until the next. Gigs can be awkward, sparsely populated affairs to say the least.
How refreshing to arrive at Sala Rossa, then, to see that a crowd of a hundred or so have turned out to see Small Black‘s first headline show in our fair city (following previous support stints to Washed Out and STRFKR).
Three albums in, it’s certainly about time they had more than half an hour to show what they’ve got. They are often described as “synth pop” in the media, but that only tells half the story. The groovy bass lines on offer tonight certainly remind you of Hot Hot Heat or The Rapture, but vocally we’re in Washed Out territory, bordering on Sufjan Stevens, even, whereby singer Josh Kolenik is almost whispering or exhaling his lyrics, as opposed to singing them per se. This is a band intent on carving out their own niche.
The set kicks off with Real People from the recent Real People EP (alas, Frankie Rose wasn’t present for her part), and the set starts as it means to go on. Dominant bass lines fill the air, dance-y drum beats, and an audience in the mood to move! For the next 65 minutes, we all forget it’s a Tuesday. By the 4th song Photojournalist (a song we’re told pre-dates Instagram and Snapchat), even the photojournalists present are dancing too; poetic or what?! Current single, Boys Life, unsurprisingly is received rabidly, with even the cool bar-dwellers at the back joining in the party. Honestly, there’s enough dancing here to challenge a Cut Copy show!
Highlight of the night is new song, Back At Belle’s, from newest record Best Blues. On record, it’s a pleasant 3 1/2 minute tune, but live, it’s completely re-worked into an epic, atmospheric experience, complete with drum machine layering over actual drum beats, with distorted guitar, and then additional distortion added by Josh himself. Guitarist and keyboardist Ryan Heyner later explains that they did this to beef up the sound for the live experience from its recorded version; mission accomplished.
Free At Dawn, No Stranger, and Breathless, all from epic second album Limits Of Desire, follow in quick succession, and make for a glorious conclusion to the main set. This is swiftly followed by a 1-song encore of the first song they ever wrote, Despicable Dogs, and then we’re spent; the rapturous applause and dancing has been relentless! None of this goes unnoticed by the band, who laud the crowd and proclaim this the best show they’ve ever played in Montreal. There’s certainly no arguing that from this reviewer! Having seen them already as an opening band, there’s no doubt they have made the transition to headliner seamlessly, and surely bigger stages and even bigger crowds await them. A fantastic band, a fantastic show; don’t miss them next time!
Review & photos – Simon Williams
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