| BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE - Auckland 06/08/2010 live review! |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway |
| Monday, 09 August 2010 23:39 |
 I think that if I ever happen to be visited by a musical genie and am given the chance to be a part of any band in the world right now, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE would be right up there as a potential option. Hailing from Canada, the band - or musical collective of at times fifteen of Canada’s finest musicians - have been busy taking the world by storm, touring in support of their 2010 release ‘Forgiveness Rock Record’, including performances at this year's Australian festival Splendour In The Grass, followed by a sold-out, yet suitably intimate, performance at the Kings Arms in Auckland. With up to ten members on stage at any one time, Broken Social Scene appeared far too big for the Kings Arms, not just physically, but also with the sheer amount of talent oozing from their very being. Opening their epic 2+ hour long set with ‘World Sick’ - the first single from their latest release - the band immediately showed the packed and enthusiastic venue what they were made of. Kevin Drew - founding member alongside Brendan Canning - informed the audience that the night was "going to be like an old-school punk rock show", before launching into 'Stars And Sons' followed by the upbeat 'Texico Bitches', which saw the only female member of Broken Social Scene on this tour Lisa Lobsinger, appear on stage for a few short moments to assist Drew on keyboards before returning to the side of stage.  While the audience was suitably enthusiastic in their applause, it was when the band launched into older material such as '7/4 (Shoreline)' which saw Lobsinger reappear on stage for vocal duties, followed immediately by 'Fire Eye’d Boy', that the sing-a-long's and crowd participation developed. However, in the moments where the audience was more subdued, I like to believe it was due to a sincere and awestruck sense of appreciation, where everyone could do nothing but watch and admire in silence to ensure they didn’t miss a single moment. Launching into ‘Forced To Love’, ‘Sweetest Kill’, and ‘All To All’, the band appeared to be on a continuous rotation of instrument duties throughout the entire set, with all members aside from the drummer taking turns at playing keyboards, guitars, bass and percussion, creating for an intricate layering of instruments which added new dimensions to their tracks. It was especially admirable at the speed and ease the band were able to swap instruments without interfering with the continuous flow of the set. ‘Almost Crimes’ had local singer Chelsea Jade from Teacups join Drew in vocals, before the band made a late addition to the set playing ‘Superconnected’ which clearly made one fan up the front a happy man after many requests between songs for that very track.  While each member on stage was exceptionally talented, it really was founding members Canning and Drew who shone above the rest as they traded lead-vocal duty and engaged the crowd with a few comments, such as Drew’s admission to absolute boredom when watching a rugby match, and Canning’s unnecessary apology for a ‘lacklustre’ show in 2008. However aside from small comments here and there, the between song chit-chat was kept to a minimum, and the band rounded out the main portion of their set with ‘Water in Hell’, ‘Ungrateful Little Father’, and ‘KC Accidental’, before all members but Drew departed the stage.  Taking his place at the side of the stage in front of a keyboard, and under only one dimly lit spotlight, Kevin Drew thanked the crowd for coming out before stating "lets see if this works in this setting", before playing a slow building ‘Lover’s Spit’ which personally made my night complete. Joined by the rest of the band for ‘Ibi Dreams Of Pavement (A Better Day)’ and final song ‘Meet Me In The Basement’, when the band started to leave the stage the enthusiasm from the audience and everyone’s apparent refusal to accept the show was over saw Canning emerge once more and start to tinker about with the keyboard. Moments later, Drew reappeared on stage taking his place behind the drums, quickly followed by Lisa Lobsinger with a melodica... and slowly but surely, each member returned to the stage and took part in what appeared to be an impromptu jam session. Broken Social Scene may not appeal to everyone musically, but when a band of up to ten members can come together on stage in front of a sold-out audience and just jam out together as you imagine they would in their private practice space, it really emphasises just how passionate and talented they all are about their music, and how willing they are to share it with their fans.  Encouraging everyone to "be proud of your friends, and do right", the band then convinced everyone their set really was done and exited the stage, ending what is surely going to be the best performance witnessed at the Kings Arms this year. Whatever you call Broken Social Scene - band, collective, group of friends - one thing is certain: Broken Social Scene are one of Canada’s finest musical exports, no gimmicks, no attitude, just pure talent which should be witnessed live at least once.  |
