In-Flight Safety, Birthday Boys and Oh No Forest Fires @ The Horseshoe

There is nothing like going to a show to see what you expect to be a fairly decent performance, and being treated to something significantly better. Halifax's In-Flight Safety have just released We Are An Empire, My Dear which I recently reviewed. I thought it was quite good, but not in any earth shattering sort of way. 'Earth Shattering', however, is actually a perfect description for the brilliant show that I caught last Friday at The Horseshoe.

Opening the night was Oh No Forest Fires, a band that I have seen before, although I was shocked to discover that the last time was actually waaaaay back in 2007. Time flies. Back then they were the epitome of energy; a spazz-bucket of wild fun. You would think that after two years the band would have settled a bit, perhaps taking a more refined approach to rocking out. Yah, so ... um, no. Frontman Rajiv Thavanathan, the human pinball, bounced around even more wildly than I remember. I forgot to bring my stop watch but I would bet that if I timed it properly, Rajiv actually spent more of the performance airborne than he did with his feet on the ground. As usual, I loved the enthusiasm, and it seemed to be attracting huge smiles from the rest of the audience too. I do not think that it is even remotely debatable that ONFF are a powerhouse of a live performance, but this would be all for naught if the songs weren't equally as strong, and they truly are. Guitar heavy assaults of well calculated math rock equipped with an indie spirit and a hooky vibe help to propel this band into being one of my absolute faves.

Photos: Oh No Forest Fires @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: Oh No Forest Fires

The second act was the Birthday Boys from Peterborough who specialize in a pretty frantic style of blues based classic rock. As soon as they walked on stage, they displayed a certain aire of confidence that was not arrogant, but assured. One guitarist was even sporting a pretty cool looking pompadour which, I know from past experience, is not easy to achieve. Their sound lies somewhere in-between dirty sounding garage and testosterone-driven beer guzzlin' rock 'n roll. As musicians, the band was tighter than tight, making good use of simple power chords in order to infuse energy, and effectively introducing a rabid guitar solo when appropriate. Their performance of a song called The Drug was probably the greatest example of how all of these ingredients worked together to create a raw energy that was perfectly suited for the party-like atmosphere of The Horseshoe.

Photos: Birthday Boys @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Birthday Boys

In-Flight Safety are a pretty good band on record, but I think that they have to be witnessed on the live stage to be appreciated fully. Their songs are made for a live setting, and what may come across as a lush mild rocker through the earbuds of your iPod, transforms into a blast of atomic energy on stage. For the most part, the band stuck with songs from their far superior sophomore full length, and there was no doubt that they have reached a certain level of comfortability in what they do, without sacrificing any of the music's immediate charm. As they doled out one stadium worthy hit after another, it became obvious to me that this band should be playing much bigger venues than The Horseshoe because their songs deserve to be accompanied by crazy light shows and massive screenshots. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that for now, they're not, but there is just something huge about their sound. Obviously all those in attendance agreed, since the band came out for not only one, but two encores. Leader John Mullane proclaimed that this was the first time that this ever happened which means that we Torontonians got to experience a first for the band. Their first encore featured a cover of Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning, which sounded amazing and really got the crowd going. For the second encore, they pulled out Surround, which may be from their inferior first album, but is still probably my favourite song of theirs.

One more cool highlight for me personally was when Mullane handed me his pick during the last song of the main set and let me strum the crap out of his guitar. I realize that this happens at a lot of shows but I never get the pick. Never. So, yay me! If the band keeps on impressing audiences the way that they did on Friday night, then I'd better start counting my blessings, since there's a good chance the venues are going to get larger and the tickets are going to get more expensive.

Photos: In-Flight Safety @ The Horseshoe on flickr
Myspace: In-Flight Safety