Kevin Drew may have just got the date wrong, saying it’s Saturday rather than Friday, but nobody can say Broken Social Scene have started on the wrong foot.
Dropping names as they greet the adoring audience (“Pavement love Sheffield!”) Drew and bandmate Brendan Canning are both jovial and energetic from the very beginning, chatting and joking with each other as well as the crowd. It’s a testament to the friendship within the band, as well as how tight their sound is throughout the night. It’s worth wondering how many people are here for songs from Forgiveness Rock Record, which appear to dominate the gig.
The crowd moves, for the most part, in the only way a crowd made up of teenage pseudo-indie hipsters and middle aged men can; but really, everybody erupts for the older songs more than any of the new ones.
’7/4 (Shoreline)’ for example, sends shivers through the audience as Kevin Drew and Lisa Lobsinger sing with all their might, “It’s coming / it’s coming in hard”. The effect is far more powerful than the following ‘Texaco Bitches’, which is lost somewhere in the smoky room.
If I’m honest, I’m surprised that all the members of Broken Social Scene even fit on Corp’s stage. Of course, you wouldn’t know that anyone else was on stage whilst Lobsinger is singing. ‘All To All’ is a definite highlight of the night, her soft, breathy vocals floating in the ether whilst all eyes remain on Lisa, in her sixties smock dress and waves of golden hair. ‘World Sick’ and ‘Sweetest Kill’ complete a trio of slower, new songs.
For a second, I almost forgot that I was reviewing the music. Songs like ‘All To All’ and ‘World Sick’ translate well live, but there isn’t the emotional attachment to them that many fans associate with older tunes. Luckily, Broken Social Scene know their audience, and the setlist is kept fresh with additions such as Brendan Canning’s funky ‘Love Is New’, straight from his solo record.
And who could forget Lonnie, the excitable audience member asked onstage to dance and hold the words for Kevin whilst ‘Forced To Love’ is belted out? He not only steals the show during the song, but also Kevin’s hat.
With the set alternating bundles of fast and slow songs, the room is kept on its toes the whole night, even as Kevin promises things will speed up again after ‘Sweetest Kill’, and follows up with a powerful rendition of ‘Superconnected’. As the set comes to a close, it’s clear that the older songs have won over those who didn’t know them before tonight.
‘KC Accidental’ nearly ends the night on a high, but everyone comes back on stage after a short break – Kevin actually returns with a cigarette in hand, having not anticipated an encore. ‘It’s All Gonna Break’ raises the roof. His shrieks towards the end coupled with the sax and trumpet blaring creates an anthem to end the show unforgettably. What Broken Social Scene have created is not just your standard gig – it is a true musical performance.
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