Santa Dog, The Coast & Reily Live @ Clinton's

The only show I caught at this year’s Canadian Music Week was Saturday night at Clinton’s on Bloor, where I was eagerly looking forward to seeing how Santa Dog’s retro brit-pop sound would translate to our Canadian bar patrons. They did not disappoint, although they definitely had their work cut out for them.

They were preceded by Ottawa’s Loudlove, who were your typical hard rockin’, funky bar band with a bit of ska thrown in for good measure. They were better than average, and they brought the house down (as bar bands generally do in bars.) However, the only logical follow up would have been a 70’s band like Foghat, not Santa Dog. But The Dog did not let that deter them from playing a stellar show. Lead singer Rowena Dugdale is just as charming as I expected she would be, and her overall enthusiasm for coming to icy cold Canada (although Saturday’s temperature wasn’t too bad), just added to her onstage fervor. It should also be noted that bassist Rob Ash has rock star swagger down to a science, and he also gave those who stuck around a good show! They played several songs from the “Belle de Jour” EP and also included several cuts from their upcoming full-length “Kittyhawk” which I’ve listened to and it’s fantastic (more on that in a later post.) It was also very nice to meet them and I was very glad to hear that the rest of their visit to Canada had been a rousing success.

Santa Dog on myspace.
View my pics of Santa Dog live at Clinton’s on my flickr page.

I was going to leave at that point but some friends showed up and we decided to stick around for the next two bands. Glad we did. I had wanted to see The Coast for some time now, and their live show was exactly what you would expect if you’re familiar with their music. They play full-out stadium rock, complete with ringing guitars and triumphant vocals. Their songs are encompassed in atmosphere, and although they sounded exceptional, I would love to hear them open for a bigger band at a larger venue. Still, their songs really translated well to the live stage and The Coast will no doubt continue to get bigger and better as they continue to hone a sound that is tailor made for fans of U2 or The Verve.

Listen to The Coast on myspace.
View my pics of The Coast live at Clinton’s on my flickr page.

The greatest surprise of the night was Brampton’s Reily. How have I not heard of them? If the expression “destined for greatness” were to apply to any indie band, Reily would be the one. They all look like they’re pretty young, but their sound boasts a real maturity, particularly in the harmonies, which are above and beyond anything I’ve heard in a while. Female vocalists Megan and Lisa have such intricate and unique voices that it’s really hard to give those who haven’t heard them a point of comparison. With the inclusion of Nick’s equally impressive vocals, I suppose I hear a bit of Stars, and then a touch of Arcade Fire in the instrumentation. The songs they have posted on myspace do not sound like the type of songs you would hear on a debut release. If they are this good already, it is mind boggling to think how good they will be as time goes on. I am eagerly looking forward to picking up their CD, and I guarantee I’ll be introducing them to more than a couple of my friends.

Reily are playing this Friday at Sneaky Dee's on College St. and Saturday at The Mod Club also on College St. I highly recommend checking out their show.

Listen to the music of Reily on myspace.
View my pics of Reily live at Clinton’s on my flickr page.

Quick Notes featuring The Fratellis, Santa Dog, Ragni & Chance

The Fratellis’ “Costello Music” was one of the UK’s most praised releases last year. It will finally make it’s way to North American shores on March 13^th. I’ll definitely be telling you more about it when I get the CD, but in the meantime be sure to check out the insanely infectious tune, “Flathead" You can either watch the video or stream the song.

The Fratellis on myspace.

Canadian Music Week has already begun in the city and there are a lot of great performances taking place. The one that I would highly recommend the most is Santa Dog from the UK. I’ve talked about them and their classic pre-Oasis brit-pop sound before, but I have this sinking feeling that after the release of their full length in the near future, you won’t be able to see them for $8 at a tiny club anymore. So don’t miss this one, OK? Download the song "Rosa" to see what I mean.

Santa Dog on myspace.

The mesmerizing and atmospheric Ragni are going to playing The Savannah Room in Toronto on April 3rd. I’m not sure about the price just yet, but they’re another band we don’t see around these parts all that much so I’m anxiously awaiting that show. It’s bound to be a little bit on the mind-blowing side. Here’s an edited version of “The North Sea Epoch.”

Ragni on myspace.

One of my favourite artists, Chance, has recently released his latest single, entitled “Life And Life Only" He only releases a few singles a year, and he is very particular about what he chooses to release to the public. So each new single really is an event of sorts. This new one is probably his most personal one to date. Test drive the song by watching the video, and then purchase the song for only 99 cents over here.

Chance on myspace.

Santa Dog - Belle De Jour

It’s impossible not to enjoy life while listening to Santa Dog. Lead vocalist Rowena Dugdale has that distinctly English pop voice that can only be described as breathtaking. Their latest EP “Belle De Jour” is very enduring and you get the sense that this is a band that thoroughly enjoys what they’re doing. While so many other artists are out to rely on rock star strut and ‘tude, Santa Dog tunnels straight to your heart with brazenly catchy hooks that are designed especially to stay in your head for a while. There’s definitely some 80’s influence to their music. You’ll hear a bit of Morrissey, a touch of Blondie and they even remind me a bit of artists like The Sundays, Throwing Muses, Elastica and Fairground Attraction. The EP has been on repeat on my stereo for several days, but I get the feeling that their live show is really where their sense of fun really translates. I am absolutely thrilled to hear that they will be coming to Toronto for Canadian Music Week on March 10th. They’ll be playing at Clinton’s on Bloor St. and there is no way that it isn’t going to be a great show. As winter closes down, some sparkly guitar pop may be just what we need to warm us up.

Downloads:
Rosa (from ‘Belle de Jour’ EP) mp3
Chemical (from ‘The Chemical’ EP) mp3
Delicate (from ‘The Delicate’ EP) mp3

Visit the Santa Dog myspace page.
Purchase all of their music here.
They’ve also got a blog.
The promo picture appears courtesy of Toby Farrow Photography.