LIVE: ALVVAYS AND FRANKIE ROSE AT THE COMMODORE
The Commodore was packed Wednesday night when Alvvays and guest Frankie Rose came through town as part of their North American spring tour. The sold-out venue was made up of a largely mid-to-late 20s crowd of casual concert-goers. Doors opened at 8 and the huge amount of floor space filled up by the time Frankie Rose, out of Brooklyn, strolled onto the stage at quarter past 9. Rose looked comfortable strapped to her guitar in a long sleeved black shirt rolled up to her elbows, and a toque. She was accompanied by her two touring members on bass and keyboard and a 50-inch projector screen that displayed flashing visual displays to go with each song.
Rose released her fourth album last summer, but the 8-track set consisted mostly of her earlier work. She opened with “Minor Times” off her third album which drew the audience in with a resonating electronic drum beat over an ethereal landscape. The song breaks into an astounding chorus where she sings “We don’t sleep, we dream.” Second song of the evening, “Daylight Sky”, kept the ball rolling with an infectious, upbeat hook, before Rose and band slowed things down with the eerie, bass-led track “Moon in my Mind”. Fans of The Cure would have been excited to see Rose’s hypnotic cover of “In Your House” off their 1980 album, Seventeen Seconds, which she released a full cover album of last year.
The last half of the set consisted of two singles off her second album, “Night Swim” and “Know Me”. The former, a moody track that saw Rose showing off her guitar abilities, and the latter, a driven pop beat with an 80’s-inspired hook. The two singles off her latest release did make an appearance. “Red Museum” amplified beautifully throughout the venue and closing track “Cage Tropical” made for a wonderful end to the set; Rose’s echoing vocals floating with ease through the hook-strong chorus. The indie artist made her mark on the mostly unfamiliarised audience. “This is a cool place,” Rose said, signing off, “I feel like I’m at the prom.”
The eager crowd pushed closer to the stage in anticipation before Alvvays made their appearance at 10:15. Wasting no time, the 5-piece out of Toronto plowed right into the lively track “Hey” off their latest, and sophomore, album Antisocialites. The shift from the ethereal pop opening act to the fast-paced indie rock was quite the change in tempo and was visible in the movements throughout the crowd. They moved right into another fast-moving track with “Adult Diversion” from their first album. The two opening tracks seemed to work as a warm-up before the real show began with “In Undertow”, the lead single off their latest, which turned the atmosphere from fun to enchanting.
“Toronto Raptors won today! My emotional health is much more stable,” lead singer/guitarist Molly Rankin proclaimed before the band moved into their latest single, “Plimsoll Punks”, followed by my personal favourite off their 2017 release, “Lollipop”. The song shows some wonderful supporting vocals from keyboardist Kerri MacLellan and is probably the most bubble-gum pop song this band has. The vocal pairing of Rankin and MacLellan was a pleasure to behold. It was shown off on their next songs, “Not My Baby” and especially “Saved By A Waif”, the latter of which included some help from lead guitarist Alec O’Hanley and the bands more recent addition, drummer Sheridan Riley.
“Forget About Life” sobered things up a bit but “Your Type” brought the energy back tenfold. The pace dipped again with the slow burner, “Ones Who Love You” off their first album followed by another pick-me-up, “Atop a Cake”. Fan favourite and lead single off their debut album, “Archie, Marry Me”, was a highlight of the night. Rankin’s signature, old-fashioned vocals projected through the ballroom as she wailed out the incredibly moving chorus. They played the easy-listening, non-album track, “Pecking Order” followed by the second single off their latest, “Dreams Tonight”, which acted as a nice wind-down towards the end of the set.
“Thanks for making tonight really fun, this is our last song,” Rankin said before the slow open of their first album’s sentimental track, “Party Police”. They weren’t going to leave the crowd on such a soft note though. After a brief exit from the stage, the band returned with a cover of the song “Blue” by the late English rock band, Elastica, which provided a pounding beat and a catchy chorus. The closing song of the night and my personal favourite was “Next of Kin”. Fans knew it was coming and the energy was at its peak during this grand finale and it capped off a great night of live music.
After several Western Canada stops, Alvvays and Frankie Rose are heading South. The tour continues Friday night in Seattle.
