Full disclosure: I would’ve written this review earlier, but the sheer magnitude of The Smith Street Band live knocked me on my arse for a few days afterwards. If that gig, or the record the band launched, Sunshine & Technology, doesn’t have the same effect on you if only for a small amount of time, there might be something wrong with you. But first, the build up.
The Bennies and their topless party-punk fill The Tote early on. Their carefree approach is light-hearted enough to help everyone sink a few beers, but they’re soon thrown for a curve.
After The Bennies set, I caught up briefly with The Smith Street Band’s lead singer Wil Wagner. He paced around The Tote’s courtyard, staying away from the booze. Instead, he lets his nerves do the talking, and as anyone around him will attest, there’s an energy quickly becoming present. “Make sure you check out The Hoodlum Shouts,” he says, and disappears into a sea of people wishing him well.
Perhaps if Wagner had introduced The Hoodlum Shouts, the crowd might not have been so reticent towards their sprawling, socially-conscious rock. It’s invigorating and strangely compelling, though most of the crowd take them in from a distance. With songs as wide as the places they sing of, complete with lead singer Sam Leyshon’s manic, Gordon Downie-esque stage approach, Hoodlum Shouts battled a largely empty dance floor and emerged victorious.
That is, of course, until Wagner and The Smith Street Band took the stage and whipped the crowd into a frenzy. If smiles were a currency, then The Tote quickly attained the value of a Saudi mansion. TSSB had the crowd screaming back their tales of lost youth over an anthemic and potent blend of punk-folk.
If Hoodlum Shouts sang songs as wide as landscapes, then the crowd stretched their arms just as wide and opened their hearts to the band. There was a mutual respect, as TSSB continued to amp up their set with every track.
Yet while many of their punk contemporaries make music with an intensity that can’t manage to sustain, TSSB portrayed their true staying power: their ability to capture moments so intense and harness them into a song for everyone around them to share.
It won’t be long before the rooms are larger and TSSB share their empowering ethos with crowds equally large. For the time being, it was a Saturday night to be remembered, but only because that kind of enthusiasm is impossible to forget.
BY JOSHUA KLOKE
LOVED: Where to begin? Great atmosphere, great conversation, great merch.
HATED: Not getting a poster, I guess.
DRANK: To the death of regret.
