Lovely Feathers, Taylor Knox Band, Wax Atlantic - Dakota (Nov 7/13)

They said it had only been three years but for me it had been forever as I never saw The Lovely Feathers at all the first time around. My memory was of quirky fun and it was all that; perky and enjoyable. Sure the rust may have shown on a couple tracks as the members weren't quite in sync with each other or the impromptu encore that saw them remembering only a couple verses but the crowd was enthusiastic and forgiving. A five-piece male group that also featured double keys, one set being synths, that gave the set even more lightness. It seems people haven't strictly kept the records on the shelf during their absence, or maybe hooks like 'Pope John Paul, where you from? KRAKOW, POLAND' and 'She said hi to the man of the house. She said I am the man of the house' are hard to forget. Alongside In the Valley they also included a few new tracks which showed promise for an extended return, especially as these songs sounded more than alright. Even using one fresh tune for their highly-demanded but obviously unplanned encore worked well with a surging chorus, even if they missed their mark on the coordinated quick stop. That was the way the set went though, a little rough, a little quick, a little quirky but a lot of entertainment. Stick around.

Not sure if it was strictly a Taylor Knox night he was up second, fronting his three-piece eponymous band. The uniform seemed to be long hair but otherwise all black, notably bucked by the joyous drummer whose shirt pattern fell in line with the rug's print. None of this affected their rock and roll roots. Taylor's vocals seemed to be unclear and down in the mix so it was a slightly unfair first impression of his independent work but piqued interest for a future opportunity. It added a special edge when he swapped out for his 12 string. Yes, please!

The Wax Atlantic five benefited from the Toronto everyman's presence as Taylor Knox played his electric guitar throughout the set. This consisted of some very decent piano- based rock pop and the boys had fun with it throughout. For likenesses it's easy to point a finger to Waterloo's Will Currie who leads an indie piano pop troupe of his own but also hints of the Golden Dogs. The link from the Golden Dogs and their Paul McCartney cover can then awkwardly be drawn to mid era Beatles. Regardless of influence or similarity they stood their own, playing an early set to a sizable crowd of Young Lions.

Aidan Knight, Andy Shauf - Young Lions Exclusive Apt Show - CMW (Mar 23/13)

Andy Shauf

In a living room overlooking Lee's Palace people crowded around for the just announced members-only gig. Andy Shauf took to the 'stage' (perched on an amp near the end of the room) and played a string of songs on his acoustic guitar. His subdued voice worked for the low key set, though at moments we did have to strain to hear him over some Bloor Street traffic filtering through the ajar patio door. Slightly awkwardly he asked the audience if they had any questions a few time, I suppose in an effort to get to know him in the intimate setting. The lyrics were intimate and amusing the tale of the smoking hometown hero was particularly enjoyable. Perhaps six songs later they made way for the Friendly Friends who were set to bring the energy up a little.

Aidan Knight and the Friendly Friends

And friendly they were! The band's namesake was also seated, surrounded by his female vocalist/horn section, violin/bass/guitarist, drummer and the unseen keyboardist at the bottom of the stairs. The opening couple numbers from last years excellent Small Reveal serve as a nice opening and so they proceeded. The music came across very nicely in the intimate setting and people crammed into the room to attentively listen. It is really well written music that comes to life with these six musicians, even if they were forced to be seated/still due to the room's constraints. Even the cover tune worked in well. The blaring brass really complements the guitar work and insistent drumming to bring it all to life. That being said, the final song with just Aidan and his guitar singing Margaret Downe brought it alive too, albeit in another way altogether.