Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Imaginary Cities, Bobby Barzin (Rivoli NXNE, June 16, 2011)

Having never seen them before but seriously fallen for their debut Temporary Resident I was pumped for this show and was happy to get into the capacity Rivoli. The show was just about everything I could have hoped for out of a set. They stayed true to the structure of the songs while adding the raw live energy of rocking outros, guitar flourishes and, perhaps most of all, strong lead vocals. Marti Sarbit commanded the mic from the album/show opener Say You, through a smattering of new songs amidst Temporary Resident faves and even a Cake cover (Mexico) for good measure. This capable Winnepeg band secured my attendance at their next Toronto show, whenever that may be! Best of luck with the Polaris Prize.

Also arriving early had the advantage of catching a few tunes from the soulful-beyond-his-young-face, Bobby Bazini and co. This singer songwriter show some real promise in his genre.

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