I've been wanting to see Kathleen Edwards for a long time. She tours constantly and even lives less than a couple hours away from where I do, but I've never had a good opportunity to attend one of her live shows. I've gleaned some performances from Youtube and have recorded her televised 2004 appearance at Rehearsal Hall that Bravo! airs periodically, but it's not quite the same as living and breathing in the same room at the same time as her. So finally, finally, a London concert was scheduled and I scooped up tickets for what turned out to be a sold-out show.
The event was held at the historic Aeolian Hall of London, Ontario (not to be confused with the historic Aeolian Hall of London, England), housed in the upper half of a 125-year-old building located just east of downtown. A narrow stairway spirals patrons up from the ground floor and into a quaint old lobby. The lobby, being that it is a lobby, abuts the hall itself where ticket holders can either climb more stairs to hang out on the balcony (where the view of the stage is very nearly obstructed by the chandelier) or claim a chair on the floor. High or low, as long as the chandelier isn't in the line of sight there isn't a bad seat in the house. The floor space is unexpectedly small but not tight, although it may only feel small due to the stage being so large and the ceiling so far away. Holding that ceiling up, by the way, are a series of large wooden beams. Beams, in addition to bearing loads, carry a surprising amount of character.
Following a brief introduction by the Hall's owner, Toronto's The Hunting Horns took the stage. Wearing tweed suits and thin ties the four performers appeared dressed to hawk snake oil. Couple that with the 19th century hall architecture (beams!) and the atmosphere became oddly nostalgic in a brown-colored post-war sort of way (though I'm sure nobody in that building except for the old man taking tickets could even remember the 1940s). Short a drummer, they crooned out lonely neo-folky southern gothic numbers by way of a stand-up bass and guitars and a keyboard in piano mode, and occasionally an accordion and a mandolin and a banjo would make an appearance. They seemed a bit loose, and maybe some solid percussion would have tightened things up.* It didn't help that the guitarist broke a string on the very first song. Anyway, if you like Nick Cave or the Castanets or you read too much Faulkner then check out their Myspace page. "The Vulture" is a good song.
After the Hunting Horns came Kathleen Edwards. Again, a drum set was conspicuously absent and she was accompanied by only one instrumentalist on either side of her; "Jim Bryson on red guitar" and "Gord Tough on yellow guitar." Bryson also played the keyboard and harmonized beautifully with Edwards, who also played guitar and harmonica. This was to be a stripped down and low-key affair, but a no-less entertaining one.
The setlist was full and varied and covered all three of her major releases. She often swung suddenly from a completely depressing song to something upbeat, but the transition was never jarring or even awkward. Midway through the set a Merle Haggard tune was played in honor of an encounter she had with an American border guard (an occurance that residents of Southern Ontario are not unfamiliar with).
In interviews and certainly during between-song banter Edwards continuously cracks jokes and tells funny stories. A lot of humor stems from her honest approach to things, and this honesty carries over into her music as well, but in a darker, more serious way. Her songs are often quite serious and usually about strained relationships (gruesomely like "6 O'Clock News", subtly like "Hockey Skates", and everywhere in between). If it weren't for the upbeat songs that periodically appear on her albums then listening to Edwards' music could become quite a downing experience. But during the show she was good enough to follow a somber song with a fun one, and there was plenty of talk to keep the audience amused.
Here is the complete setlist, by the way.
The only dismal part, at least for me, was my inability to remember to bring a camera. Somebody sitting nearby with video recording capabilities, though, has already posted the first song. Watch it if you care to.
Kathleen Edwards put on a great show and I hope to see her again soon. She hinted that she might return to London for a summer festival, so everybody in the area can hopefully look forward to that. She'll be touring elsewheres in the meantime and I recommend catching her if you can.
(*My wife made this observation. I initially just assumed that they were trying to sound this way.)
The event was held at the historic Aeolian Hall of London, Ontario (not to be confused with the historic Aeolian Hall of London, England), housed in the upper half of a 125-year-old building located just east of downtown. A narrow stairway spirals patrons up from the ground floor and into a quaint old lobby. The lobby, being that it is a lobby, abuts the hall itself where ticket holders can either climb more stairs to hang out on the balcony (where the view of the stage is very nearly obstructed by the chandelier) or claim a chair on the floor. High or low, as long as the chandelier isn't in the line of sight there isn't a bad seat in the house. The floor space is unexpectedly small but not tight, although it may only feel small due to the stage being so large and the ceiling so far away. Holding that ceiling up, by the way, are a series of large wooden beams. Beams, in addition to bearing loads, carry a surprising amount of character.
Following a brief introduction by the Hall's owner, Toronto's The Hunting Horns took the stage. Wearing tweed suits and thin ties the four performers appeared dressed to hawk snake oil. Couple that with the 19th century hall architecture (beams!) and the atmosphere became oddly nostalgic in a brown-colored post-war sort of way (though I'm sure nobody in that building except for the old man taking tickets could even remember the 1940s). Short a drummer, they crooned out lonely neo-folky southern gothic numbers by way of a stand-up bass and guitars and a keyboard in piano mode, and occasionally an accordion and a mandolin and a banjo would make an appearance. They seemed a bit loose, and maybe some solid percussion would have tightened things up.* It didn't help that the guitarist broke a string on the very first song. Anyway, if you like Nick Cave or the Castanets or you read too much Faulkner then check out their Myspace page. "The Vulture" is a good song.
After the Hunting Horns came Kathleen Edwards. Again, a drum set was conspicuously absent and she was accompanied by only one instrumentalist on either side of her; "Jim Bryson on red guitar" and "Gord Tough on yellow guitar." Bryson also played the keyboard and harmonized beautifully with Edwards, who also played guitar and harmonica. This was to be a stripped down and low-key affair, but a no-less entertaining one.
The setlist was full and varied and covered all three of her major releases. She often swung suddenly from a completely depressing song to something upbeat, but the transition was never jarring or even awkward. Midway through the set a Merle Haggard tune was played in honor of an encounter she had with an American border guard (an occurance that residents of Southern Ontario are not unfamiliar with).
In interviews and certainly during between-song banter Edwards continuously cracks jokes and tells funny stories. A lot of humor stems from her honest approach to things, and this honesty carries over into her music as well, but in a darker, more serious way. Her songs are often quite serious and usually about strained relationships (gruesomely like "6 O'Clock News", subtly like "Hockey Skates", and everywhere in between). If it weren't for the upbeat songs that periodically appear on her albums then listening to Edwards' music could become quite a downing experience. But during the show she was good enough to follow a somber song with a fun one, and there was plenty of talk to keep the audience amused.
Here is the complete setlist, by the way.
BuffaloYeah, that's right, she closed the show with THAT song, and everybody couldn't help but hum it as they drove home that night. Also of note was the new untitled song (it may actually have a title, but she didn't happen to mention it). It was good -- another one of those slower-but-catchy relationships-down-the-tubes numbers -- and should be interesting to hear on any upcoming EPs or LPs that would feature a full band. Also, there are a couple more new songs on her Myspace that are worth listening to.
6 O'Clock News
Asking For Flowers
Copied Keys
Summerlong
I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory
Run
Alicia Ross
Are the Good Times Really Over (Merle Haggard cover)
Hockey Skates
In State
Scared at Night
Cheapest Key
Back to Me
[Encore]
(new song)
Lone Wolf
Your Love (The Outfield cover)
The only dismal part, at least for me, was my inability to remember to bring a camera. Somebody sitting nearby with video recording capabilities, though, has already posted the first song. Watch it if you care to.
Kathleen Edwards put on a great show and I hope to see her again soon. She hinted that she might return to London for a summer festival, so everybody in the area can hopefully look forward to that. She'll be touring elsewheres in the meantime and I recommend catching her if you can.
(*My wife made this observation. I initially just assumed that they were trying to sound this way.)
