I rushed passed the doors with a stamped wrist and ticket in hand fearing that I would not be in front and to my delight, there were only two rows of people. The crowd started filling the room at the sold-out Daughter show at the Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre on Saturday night.
The opening act, Wilsen, got an opening band applause. I only had a chance to listen to one song prior to the concert, but I liked “Magnolia”, which was the song they opened up with. No one knew who they were, which is most often the case with opening acts. Even so, the crowd loved her; a large applause after “Emperor” solidified that. The band, consisting of Tamsin Wilson, the charming singer songwriter from London, Jonny Simon Jr, and Drew Arndt, expressed their pleasure to return to Montreal to tour with Daughter once again. Wilsen played “dusk”, which was my favourite due to the lighting perfectly accompanying the music, almost mimicking the shaking of maracas. They ended with “Garden” and the audience was sad to see them go, but anticipating their long awaited headliner Daughter.
During the intermission, I asked two girls that had been standing next to me what they were most excited to hear. Miranda said “Medicine” and we connected with our love of her oldest EPs. Jennifer said she wants to hear “No Care” off the new album. I definitely agreed with both.
With loud clapping and excited screams, Daughter, fronted by Elena Tonra, walked on stage. Immediately with those first three notes, I knew she was playing “How” off her newly released Album “Not To Disappear”. I couldn’t have thought of a better song to open with. The room was filled with her soothing voice and wrapped in the smashing drums and guitar. After a large applause, “Tomorrow” played. The audience was happy, as was I, that they played from her older album “If You Leave”.
She whispered thank you into the microphone and was welcomed by a sizeable applause and a couple screams because, in all honesty, she was adorable. Next up was “Numbers” followed by “Alone With You”. After another whispered thank you into the microphone from Elena, Igor Haefeli the guitarist expressed his thanks and said they were going to play an old song. The loudest cheer so far reverberated from the audience.
Elena’s pleasing melancholy voice paired with the echoing notes of Igor’s guitar and Remi’s rumbling drums filled the room as everyone silently listened to “Amsterdam” followed by “Human”.
As Elena switched guitars and had trouble getting the right sound on her black Les Paul, Igor explained that wasn’t the guitar she usually played with. He joked they should start a band called “Black Les Paul” because Elena, Igor and their keyboardist had matching guitars for “Doing The Right Thing”, their first single off the new album. Afterwards they played “Shallows”.
Some band drummers count aloud “1,2,3,4” before a song, but Daughter did it very differently with this next song. Elena getting ready to play whispered: “1,2,3,4, (long pause), 5” giggled and restarted: “1,2,3, (long pause), 7”. Everyone laughed and finally they started “Home”. I was most excited about this because it is off their self-released “The Wild Youth” EP and one of the top songs I hoped she would play. Evidently, so did the crowd.
Next in a thrilling riff, I knew Jennifer would be happy as Daughter began playing “No Care”. Being a stark contrast from her mellower indie folk music, this alternative sounding song had the crowd dancing and clapping along. The energy subsided as “Winter” played and the crowd quietly sang along.
The Corona Theatre is a very intimate venue already, when they played “Smother” it felt as if we were intimately in their living room, relaxing and listening.
A band will usually play their most famous songs at the end, and this was the case. After “New Ways” the band played “Youth”, asking everyone to help her sing it because she has what sounds like “an old man in her throat” near the end of the concert. EVERYONE sang and finally the entire crowd was completely immersed in the music, almost screaming the iconic line: “We are the reckless, we are the wild youth”.
As a last song they played “Fossa” which had the most mesmerising and relaxing lighting. The crowd swayed with the soft beginning. After a small intermission, Igor said they would play “at least one more “depressing song” and they ended with the enchanting “Made Of Stone”.
Final thoughts: I am personally a huge fan of Daughter and missed her last concert and deeply regretted it. I feel like she would have played a lot of songs from her EPs like Medicine, Landfill and Candles. Call me hipster, but I love the more obscure, less popular songs. I was ecstatic that I could be at her concert this time, it was definitely not one to miss. The entire theatre had such a different feeling than all other concerts I’ve been to recently. Her voice sometimes was the only sound; it resonated and swathed the room in a spooky, yet calming way.
If you missed them this time, not to worry, the band will be returning to Montreal this summer at Osheaga.
Passes are already available at http://www.osheaga.com/tickets/
For the die hard fans, you can find their rare and most requested t-shirt on the Yellow Bird Project website, where bands design their own shirts and the proceeds go to the charity of the band’s choice. For Daughter, the chosen charity is Mind UK.
Review – Breanna Wark
Photos – Ashley MacPhee
