Review of Snail Mail + Joy Again at Club Soda April 9, 2022
What is a dude in his close to mid-fifties doing at a Snail Mail gig?
Great music has no gender.
Great music has no age.
When Lush was released, Pristine put its hooks in me, and I was done, served up deboned with a little garlic butter.
That first riff has a Foo Fighters vibe, but way cooler. Lindsey Jordan’s voice comes in, as clear as can be, and it’s unmistakably great!
Hitting the stage at 15, an EP at 16 and an LP Lush at 18, Lindsey certainly felt the power of music in her life, and in turn, infuses it in her songs.
It’s been 3 years without touring, so tonight, Lindsey would make it count.
Joy Again
Joy Again, a sextet from Philadelphia came to make us dance.
The crowd was quickly turned into a bobblehead showroom.
It was hard not to notice the drummer, who took the term “high hats” too literally…having his cymbals about 6 feet high. It did make for dramatic visuals.
I personally found their voices to be annoying, but I could not sing any better, so who am I to judge.
Regardless, the crowd seemed to enjoy the performance and that’s all that matters.
Once the bongos came out, the crowd amplified their love.
The song that really got the crowd going was Lymes, a song about Lyme disease.
Looking Out for You had the lyrics: “This is a love song for a girl that will never know it’s about her. Know it’s pretty stupid but I’m much too shy to tell her.”
I feel your pain brother.
By now, the crowd was dancing, and the band was starting to win me over.
They finished with a bang, and I could appreciate the vibe they created.
Snail Mail
At 9:24 PM, the lights dimmed. You & I by Madleen Kane came on the PA, as the band finally took the stage.
From start to finish, the crowd was responding as if a love letter was secretly being written between fan and artist.
Lindsey couldn’t help but perform with a smile the whole evening, soaking in the obvious crush from the audience.
It didn’t take long for the first of many: “We love you Lindsey!”
We even had a: “Love your little suit!”
Valentine started off the evening, showcasing the more modern sounds off the album of the same name.
The crowd sang along to Heat Wave with loud voices.
Before performing Automate, Lindsey shared that she had vocal cord surgery recently. For a whole month, after the surgery, she was silent.
She did not stay silent for Automate, as she tried a different tuning that would allow her voice to hit a higher range. Seems learning to talk and sing again came with a bonus superpower!
At the end of the song, she admitted that it was her favourite Snail Mail song. The fact that the audience also loved it gave them the title of “the land of taste.”
Lindsey went solo with an acoustic guitar and gently sang Light Blue while belting out “nothing’s gonna stop me now.”
A cover of The Smashing Pumpkins Tonight, Tonight was delivered with an insane energy which included the splits & frog jumps while playing the guitar.
The disco ball started for Forever (Sailing) and as for the other songs, the crowd enjoyed every single minute.
The audience roared for an encore, which was given with two additional songs.
The first was the gentle Mia where again, Lindsey’s voice was highlighted.
When the first guitar strums of Pristine started, the crowd went nuts, as they should have.
Going all in, the band took the song to a new level of energy, satisfying our thirst for this …dare I say…pristine song.
It was clear that Snail Mail had an impact on Club Soda tonight, delivering a sweet, energetic and unforgettable night.
The message that Montreal has for Snail Mail are the last lines of Pristine, which eloquently state: “I’ll still love you the same.”
Yes, we love Snail Mail. Come back and visit us sometime.
Setlist
Valentine
Ben Franklin
Glory
Speaking Terms
Heat Wave
Automate
Madonna
Golden Dream
Thinning
Light Blue
Full Control
Headlock
Tonight, Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins)
Forever (Sailing)
Encore
Mia
Pristine
Photos: Isabelle Oleksiuk
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
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