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

'Sup in April

Let's get right into it...

The Weakerthans (pictured above) are playing three shows at The Phoenix starting tonight (March 31st.) After years of unintentional neglect, I will be attending show #2 on Wednesday April 1st. This show is sure to be wicked awesome since joining them will be The Constantines (whom I've seen: amazing!) and The Waking Eyes (whom I've also seen: amazing!) the first two shows are sold out but I believe there are still some seats available for for the April 2nd show. $25. [Myspace: The Weakerthans; The Constantines; The Waking Eyes]

I was already prepared to see In-Flight Safety at The Horseshoe Tavern on Friday April 3rd, but now sweetening the pot is the fact that Oh No Forest Fires are one of the bands that are opening for them. I'm actually more excited about that since I haven't seen them for a while and they're one of my faves here in the city. Birthday Boys are also on the bill. Tix are $10 and In-Flight Safety are also doing an in-store at Criminal Records. Not sure of the exact time, although their website says 2-4pm. [Myspace: In-Flight Safety; Birthday Boys; Oh No Forest Fires]

A couple of the first bands that I ever blogged about are playing Bookman's Nu Music night at The Horseshoe on Tuesday April 7th. Fire Hydrant have a definite alt-rock style that is pretty easy to enjoy. Playing earlier on in the evening is Beautiful Nothing from Burlington. Their brand of dissonant high energy post punk is a far cry from what I'm listening to regularly these days, but this band holds a special place for me since they were one of those bands that got me looking into the indie music scene in the first place. Should be a good show. Also on the bill is Bombing Neverland and Dream Awake. Free. [Myspace: Fire Hydrant; Bombing Neverland; Beautiful Nothing; Dream Awake]

The Paint Movement are having a CD release party at The Rivoli on Friday April 10th with Fox Jaws, Make Your Exit and Provincial Parks. Great lineup! $8. [Myspace: The Paint Movement; Fox Jaws; Make Your Exit; Provincial Parks]

I am bummed to be missing Neko Case at Trinity St. Paul's on Friday April 17th and Saturday April 18th. Both shows are sold out but I wasn't able to attend anyways. Sucks. Just venting, that's all. [Myspace: Neko Case]

Local elctro dance sensation Woodhands are playing The Phoenix on Friday April 17th for $10. [Myspace: Woodhands]

As silly and out of place as this may sound, I actually think that I'm going to be seeing The Presidents of The United States of America at Lee's Palace on Tuesday April 21st. I know, I know, how old am I right? $20.50. [Myspace: The President of the USA]

Steve's boy Justin Townes Earle is playing The Horseshoe on Wednesday April 22nd in support of Midnight At The Movies which I should seriously get around to listening to. Tickets are $12.50. [Myspace: Justin Townes Earle]

Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta are bringing their triumphant stadium rock to Lee's Palace on Friday April 24th for $10. [Myspace: Hey Rosetta]

Bat For Lashes are awesome and they will be playing The Mod Club on Saturday April 25th for $15. 'Nuff said. [Myspace: Bat For Lashes]

It looks like I will likely be at Lee's Palace on Saturday April 25th to get my dance on with Shout Out Out Out Out who are in town to support their latest offering Reintegration Time which I've been listening to quite frequently lately. $15. [Myspace: Shout Out Out Out Out]

Noah and the Whale provide Lee's Palace with some of their eclectic indie folk stylings on Monday April 27th. $12.50. [Myspace: Noah and the Whale]

You certainly don't want to miss Elvis Perkins at The Horseshoe on Wednesday April 29th since he always does a solid show. $15. [Myspace: Elvis Perkins]

The Dears are playing The Mod Club on Thursday April 30th and tix are only $20. [Myspace: The Dears]

Also on Thursday April 30th is the amazing combination of John Doe and The Sadies at The Horseshoe. I've seen this amalgamation before and if you're able to attend, I cannot recommend them enough. $17.50 and it will be spectacular!! [Myspace: John Doe & The Sadies]

Weakerthans photo by Dan Moni.

CONTEST - Win A Copy of In-Flight Safety's Brand New Release!!!!

IN-FLIGHT SAFETY - WE ARE AN EMPIRE, MY DEAR

Despite the success of In-Flight Safety's debut album The Coast Is Clear, it did not take a genius to figure out that the sophomore release was going to be a difficult hurdle for this Halifax band to jump over. The reason for this, is the fact that it has become quite common for Coldplay to be mentioned in an In-Flight Safety review almost as much as the band themselves are. The similarities were impossible to ignore, both in terms of musical style and John Mullane's uncanny vocal resemblance to Chris Martin. Being compared to Coldplay is a two edged sword. On the one hand, whether you like them or not, one cannot deny the talent. On the other hand, anybody with an ounce of musical adventure has undoubtedly grown cold of the play, as the band's last two albums were sheer examples of mailed-in monotony, in my opinion.

In-Flight Safety's latest album, called We Are An Empire, My Dear, is what Martin and company's third release should have been. No, it's not perfect, but it does showcase enough of a sense of adventure to keep an individual interested, as the band does what every artist is supposed to do with each subsequent release, that is, take things to the next level. The album begins on a high with I Could Love You More, a song that segues in and out of a wall of guitar sound, emphasizing the band's desire to display versatility not only from song to song, but also within the confines of the single song arrangement. The two following songs (Big White Elephant and Model Homes) are the obvious single choices, hooky and simple. The first one is definitely the more interesting of the two, displaying a slight arena rock style, particularly in the way the bass line and the keyboards play off of each other, reminding me of the more interesting CanCon bands of the 80's. The next song is Crash/Land which is all well and good, but it's the next part that caught me a little bit off guard. I feel that the album really takes off in the section that stretches from track 5 to track 10. These six songs deserve to be played together as an intense musical suite. It begins with Torches, an atmospheric number that starts slowly with a subtle melody accompanied by Mullane singing in a hushed vocal before the guitars chime in and the song begins its steady climb. As the vocal "la-la's" at the song's ending fades off into the distance, the opening moments to Actors chimes in, acting as an introduction to another hooky new wave delight. The song's arrangement is quite simple, but lyrically it paints a very vivid picture, as the lead character acknowledges that "we are not in love, we are only acting ... so bad." The song ends quite abruptly, which is perfect as it prevents things from dragging on longer than necessary. Amy Racina is part three of this musical suite, and it just might be my favourite song on the album. It's very mellow, but I really appreciate the control in Mullane's voice, almost sounding jazzy. CloudHead comes up next, once again making good use of atmospheres, adding a sense of ethereal desperation as the vocal "I'm so scared and I want to go home" fades into the lulling instrumental song Paperthin II. That song is followed by the final song in the must-hear portion of the album, simply called Paperthin. The lyric "I don't know where the wind will take us, we're paperthin, it's sure to break us" emphasizes to me the inevitable unsurety that accompanies most relationships, and I really appreciate the vulnerability displayed both in the lyric itself and in the presentation.

We Are An Empire, My Dear is perhaps a couple of songs too long, and it may not have my rapt attention complete from start to finish, but overall it is still a significant step up from their debut, which is exactly what a sophomore album is supposed to be. I'll be listening intently when it comes time for album number three because my mind visualizes all sorts of interesting paths for a band of this calibre to take. In the meantime, this is an album to be embraced, as the band moves one step closer to shaking the Coldplay out of their system.

Photo by Scott Munn

Myspace: In-Flight Safety
Download: Actors mp3

Download: Model Homes mp3


CONTEST: Courtesy of Pigeon Row, I've got two copies of In-Flight Safety's We Are An Empire, My Dear to give away. To win one, all you gotta do is e-mail me at quadb2001[at]gmail[dot]com with "I Value My In-Flight Safety" in the subject line, and your name and mailing address in the body.

Contest is now closed. Congrats to Dave B. and Pat B. Your CD's will be sent out shortly. Thanks to all who entered.