I sometimes wonder what factors are involved when bands/promoters/whoever schedules a show. Seeing as yesterday was Oscar night and a Sunday, I suppose whoever is responsible for Brooklyn’s nu-gazers Asobi Seksu these days figured they’d go for broke in Toronto. The result? A fairly poorly attended set, which has its advantages for someone like me.
Advantage #1:
No crowds, cooler temperatures, and a good view of the stage from the Horseshoe’s back benches next to the sound guy. I didn’t have to get up once, nor did I want to.
Advantage #2:
Nu-gazers blitz through sets at a breakneck pace. Songs flow from each other without a break, and I suppose that’s part of the genre that makes for a more compacted live experience. That said, there is not what I would call extensive, soulful conversations between musician and attendee. Given the nature of the set, this is just fine by me.
Advantage #3:
The band might be more likely to fly by the seat of their playlist pants. Though I doubt this was the case on Sunday night, I might venture to say that there was more off Fluorescence and less off Citrus (still my favorite album of theirs), but that’s neither here nor there.
If it feels like I’m running out of things to say here, it’s because I don’t see too much in the way of growth since the last time I saw Yuki Chikudate and company breeze through town. That in itself isn’t too bad – it’s just stagnant, kinda hanging in the air there. Given what little I’ve heard and read about Fluorescence, everyone has come to know what to expect from these guys.
It was a pleasant enough hour-long set that saved me from having to see Kirk Douglas’s potential collapse and revival through defibrillation paddles onstage, and Anne “horse head” Hathaway’s student council leader take on the Oscars (James Franco was so dull he warrants no mention). Though sadly, I did have to abandon a bag of cheesy poofs at the Oscar Party.
Me & Mary by Polyvinyl Records
