I was still a student at university the first time I saw Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, a band from Wales who never really achieved anything more than cult status in alternative circles back in my homeland of the UK. This was 2001. I loved them instantly, but sadly, the band disbanded a few years later, in 2006, before I even moved to Montreal. So imagine my delight to hear that their former frontman, Euros Childs, is tonight’s opener!
He’s an affable character, humble in his introduction: “My name is Euros Childs, I’m from Wales. That about covers it!” His solo music is jaunty, almost cabaret in places, and laced with comedy subject matter, including an ode to Richard Branson and a deep-dive into the life of a stuntman, as well as joking that the song Happy Coma had earned him £60 million. One guy calls out for a Gorky’s song, and I join the bandwagon, requesting the ridiculous Poodle Rockin’, and a couple of songs later, Euros is happy to oblige: “This is for the fans of the poodle!” It sounds just as good as it did back in 2001, complete with Euros’ poodle yaps. A wonderful 30-minute blast of nostalgia to start the night!
Euros retreats to keyboard duty at the back of the stage by the time Teenage Fanclub arrive on stage, and it’s incredible to think it’s been 5 years since their last visit to Montreal, a memorable night at Café Campus. They’ve been busy in the meantime, releasing two albums in the intervening period, in the form of last year’s Nothing Lasts Forever and Endless Arcade in 2021. It makes for a notably different set from last time, with almost half of the 20-song set drawn from those 2 records.
Tired of Being Alone is the standout for me, featuring absolutely note-perfect harmonies from founding frontmen Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley over a perfect indie-pop melody. Older songs, Only With You and My Uptight Life follow a similar pattern and are no less spectacular. Home, which starts the set, is the kind of all-out prog-rock number most bands would conclude a set with! It’s fitting, really; Teenage Fanclub were never really a band to follow convention.
Of course, it’s the songs from the Ben Gibbard-approved Bandwagonesque record that get the biggest cheers of the night. Norman introduces Alcoholiday simply with “This is a song from Bandwagonesque,” and it draws the biggest cheer of the night up to that point! What You Do To Me is a perfect slice of 3-minute indie ballad, and gets a huge singalong, as does The Concept, especially on those outro choruses. As always, Everything Flows, from 1990 debut A Catholic Education, closes the 95-minute set in a joyous manner, the band grinning ear to ear as they leave the stage to the roars of a packed Fairmount Theatre.
35 years into their career and counting; Teenage Fanclub are showing no signs of slowing down!
Setlist:
- Home
- Tired of Being Alone
- About You
- Endless Arcade
- Alcoholiday
- Did I Say
- Foreign Land
- Falling into the Sun
- Only With You
- Everything Is Falling Apart
- What You Do to Me
- It’s a Bad World
- I Don’t Want Control of You
- I’m in Love
- My Uptight Life
- The Concept
Encore:
- Back in the Day
- Middle of the Road
- Middle of My Mind
- Everything Flows
Review & photos – Simon Williams
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