I didn’t get to a lot of shows this week, but was glad I made it to the Slice for Calgary’s 10 Minute Detour, Saturday, March 31. With the addition of a keyboardist/guitarist to the core of frontman Andrew Shier, bassist Mike Stokes guitarist Jordan MacNeil and drummer Ross Watson.
They were a fascinating contrast of styles ’80s to ’ 08 ranging from ’80- pop and Can Con along the lines of Harlequin and Streetheart, especially vocally, to more modern garage rock influences along the lines of the Strokes and The Hives. They sounded like Harlequin meets the Strokes with a touch of Cage the Elephant.
The band played most of their two CD “Lay It Down” and their latest “Common Pleasure, added some new songs and some genuinely beautiful ’80s moments.
They teased the enthusiastic audience with a few bars of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”
They tapped into the ’90s for an impressive cover of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” and the Pixies’ “ Where is my Mind.”
But the highlights were their own catchy , gritty songs like JDK from their “Lay it Down” CD and “Nashville Geographic” and more experimental, groove fuelled songs like “Poli Shore” from their newest CD.
They were called back for an encore of a Black Keys’ song.
