As I enter the familiar Corona Theatre on this Sunday night, a fair crowd has gathered to listen to the first artist on tonight’s bill. To be honest, my first reaction was negative, wondering if I mistakenly walked into a coffee shop on open mic night. But this first impression was before I entered the Mo zone. As I listened to one song after another, I began to recognize that this singer/songwriter from Dartmouth was not your average performer. Many have great voices and can play a mean guitar, but it’s quite another thing to create a song with a structure that can hook you in.
Mo Kenney photo – Randal Wark
Mo Kenney spoke to the crowd in an endearing and intimate manner, sharing her exciting life dishing pizza and working at the dollar store, only to get dumped, repeatedly it seemed. After downing some fermented beverages, she wrote “Sucker”, morosely expressing her loss. She admitted that her songs were pretty dark, but we would now be offered her only “Happy Song” which featured a whistling solo, that ended with a giggle.
While she was recording her latest album, her producer Joel Plaskett introduced her to the band Mardeen where she fell in love with their song “Telephone” which found its way into her album. I found that both “Telephone” and her last song, “Five Years” (David Bowie Cover) was where she truly shined, fully entering the songs with passion and letting loose. A close second was “Déjà Vu”, which may be considered a happy song as well.
Regardless of her past love life, it’s hard NOT to fall in love with Mo, as both Northcote and Frank Turner did.
Set List:
I Faked It
Eden
The Great Escape
In My Dreams
Sucker
the Happy Song
Telephones
Deja Vu
Five Years (Bowie cover)
Next up tonight was from the other extreme of Canada, Victoria B.C. with Matt Goud and his band, otherwise known as Northcote. Where Mo brought a certain intimacy to the Corona, Northcote would bring the energy of their punk-folk sound. The hipsters behind me were impressed with his voice, which they attributed to years of smoking and drinking bourbon. “You aren’t born with a voice like that, you have to cultivate it.” While I don’t agree that you have to damage yourself to sound good, I would rather believe that their constant touring has helped shape the rasp in the voice that started us off with “Bitter End” off the Hope Is Made Of Steel album. The song that sports the name of the album was introduced as a song about getting to the end of your twenties with all that naiveté and youthfulness.
Northcote photo – Randal Wark
The Corona was getting a good size crowd by now, and most of them felt compelled to move to the music. Mo Kenney, who was proud to wear a Northcote t-shirt, joined Matt as they covered “Yer So Bad” by Tom Petty. By the time an upbeat “Worry” came along, the crowd was clapping as they sang how I felt: “I don’t know where it’s going, but I like where we are.” My favorite song from their set was “Find Our Own Way” from their self-titled album.
Set List:
Bitter End
Hope the Good Things Never Die
Hope is made of steel
Leaving Wyoming
Yer So Bad (Tom Petty Cover) with Mo Kenney
Wild Card
Worry
Find Our Own Way
Knock on My door
You Could Never Let Me Down
As Northcote pack up, we are served a collection of painful renditions of songs such as the first one to ring oddly in our ears: “Say a Little Prayer” My prayer was to switch the CD!
The odd thing at the Corona tonight was the erection of a barrier between the stage and the crowd. When Frank would ask the audience during the performance how many were at his show for the first time, about half raised their hands, including myself. I would shortly find out the purpose of the barrier and experience the Frank Turner musical explosion for myself.
The sound of rain filled the room as it went dark, “The Next Storm” was approaching as a prelude of what was to come. The stage was sparse, with plenty of room to move as Frank Turner bounced on stage, punishing his Nike trainers (as they say in the UK) for the duration of the show. Like lightning, Frank instantly zapped everyone with electricity and caused a packed Corona Theatre to bound and jump in unison on this, show number 1856.
Seeing Frank Turner live is more then just a show, it’s an experience! Throughout the evening, Montrealers jumped, sang along and moshed in joyful bliss to the energetic songs, some from the appropriately named Positive Songs for Negative People.
Frank impressed us with his knowledge of French, speaking briefly to the crowd in French and translating his song “Eulogy” into French especially for tonight’s crowd. Speaking of the crowd, what an amazing crowd to be a part of. Frank is all about equality, he doesn’t do VIP tickets, everyone is equal at his events. Frank has two rules for his shows: Rule #1 – don’t be an idiot. Rule #2 – If you know the song, you have to sing along.
Although there was some moshing during some of the rowdier songs, there was a common respect and courtesy extended to each one’s neighbors. At one point, the pit opened up, iPhone flashlights turned on, as Frank looked on concerned, till one fan lifted up a pair of glasses and cheering erupted from the pit, at which point they all continued to dance.
Mo brought up Bowie earlier on in the evening, but Frank encouraged us all to jump up and down during the chorus of “Polaroid Picture” in tribute to David Bowie. For the second half of the song, we did the same for Lemmy.
For the song “Tattoos”, Frank told of playing this Canadian only tour, starting in Halifax, criss-crossing Canada to end the tour here in Montreal. While in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Frank played two shows. During the first, he was chatting with a tattoo artist in the front row who said he had been tattooing for 20 years and no one ever got a New Brunswick tattoo. Between that first show and the second show, Frank got inked. He proceeds to roll up his pant leg to reveal to us his New Brunswick tattoo to a cheering crowd.
Frank invited a surprised guest, Jacqueline, who was celebrating her birthday to join him on stage. He asked her if she was ready for an adventure. Her enthusiastic yes was followed by Frank’s directions for her. She was to stand on the front barrier, help up by the bouncers and would crowd surf to a guy in the far back right corner. She would have to give him a high five and continue her journey to the center sound console to high five the engineer and continue to the left side and high five someone in the back to end her journey back on stage. This waterless surfing would be accompanied by the sounds of “Recovery”. She would then take a paper airplane of the set list and shoot it to the side that best took care of her. Unfortunately, the right side won.
Frank himself would also partake of some crowd surfing during one of the more upbeat songs, his microphone cord the only leash back to the stage.
Northcote joined Frank at one point wearing masks and Matt played the harmonica while juggling avocados no less.
Tonight was an experience of sheer joy, as we all felt like we were enjoying a pint in our favorite pub with our dear friend Frank. Frank’s charm is released in thunderous bursts of energy, much like the electric showers that started the show. If you missed out on this Frank Turner experience, strap yourself in for the next ride next time he visits our fine city.
Set List:
The Next Storm
The Road
Losing Days
Eulogy (In French)
If Ever I Stray
Try This at Home
Peggy Sang the Blues
Demons
Polaroid Picture
I Am Disappeared
Tell Tale Signs
The Opening Act of Spring
Putain de Bordel de Merde
Tattoos
The Armadillo (Flanders and Swann cover)
The Ballad of Me and My Friends
Reasons Not to Be an Idiot
Glory Hallelujah
Mittens
Long Live the Queen
Happy Birthday (for Jacqueline)
Recovery
Out of Breath
Photosynthesis
Plain Sailing Weather
Get Better
Encore:
The Way I Tend to Be
Love Ire & Song
I Still Believe
Four Simple Words
Review – Randal Wark
Photos – Steve Gerrard
