“Kind of like Belle and Sebastian, but totally underappreciated.” That’s how I find myself describing Camera Obscura to anyone asking about my evening plans. Hailing from the same country as their comparators, their music is just as punchy, just as twee, and yet seems to have garnered way less appreciation.
Not that any of this matters to anybody in the room tonight. If anything, we’re grateful. For their first Montreal show since 2013, it means we get to see them in the cozy confines of Theatre Fairmount, a venue the merch lady tells me is about half the size of the others on this tour. You can tell it’s a bigger stage production than this venue usually sees, too, with huge LCD screens at the back of the stage broadcasting high-quality video before the band even arrives on stage!
When they do, the cheers that greet them show just how loved they are before a note is even played. One girl comes with a hand-written sign that says, “I moved to this street because you were playing here!” which seems to flabbergast lead singer Traceyanne Campbell: “Oh my, that’s quite something!”
Their music is a perfect soundtrack to these early days of summer (or almost summer), the kind of sunshine indie-pop that goes immaculately with these cold beers in our hands. Heck, their song “The Light Nights” is a comment I make daily at this time of year, with the sun going down past 8 pm right now!
It’s a multi-instrumental experience from the 6-piece from start to finish. Traceyanne holds it down on guitar throughout, losing the strings for an avocado-shaped rattle only on “This Is Love (Feels Alright),” while Donna Macioca provides harmonies from the keys on various occasions, including set opener “Liberty Print” and “Pop Goes Pop” (a “Montreal exclusive” apparently!). Her keys add a great diversity to the sound throughout the set. They sound like a Wurlitzer on “Pop Goes Pop” before being distorted on “Tears for Affairs” to sound a lot like Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand.” They also provide the triumphant church organ intro to the classic “Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken” as the main set draws to a close.
Bassist Gavin Dunbar is the unsung hero, laying down the grooves from stage left while not saying a word all night, his work on “Big Love” being my personal highlight! Even a trumpet makes a regular appearance throughout the set, on “Look to the East, Look to the West”, “The Sweetest Thing”, and “We’re Going to Make It in a Man’s World”, though it certainly sounds a lot more like a kazoo on the latter!
The love from the crowd is palpable throughout. The singalongs are loudest on the quieter moments, such as “This Is Love (Feels Alright)” and the fragile “James”, though it is probably the loudest on the iconic “French Navy”.
And the feeling is clearly mutual. Before rounding off the 95-minute show with a stellar “Razzle Dazzle Rose”, Traceyanne proclaims, “Thanks Montreal, you were wonderful, please can you follow us back across the border?!” The love is felt all around on this wonderful return for Camera Obscura.
Review & photos – Simon Williams
Share this :
