Here We Go Magic

Loto-Québec Stage, Québec City QC, July 4

Photo: Matt Bobkin

BY Matthew RitchiePublished Jul 5, 2013

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Kicking things off at Festival D'ête's resident indie rock stage Thursday night were Here We Go Magic, the enigmatic five-piece fronted by one-time folk singer Luke Temple. Taking the stage with a busted electric guitar and a backing band that could be best described as exactly what you'd expect from a Brooklyn-based art rock group (un-ironic patterned button-ups; Bermuda shorts), the group ran the gamut through their modest back catalogue. Focusing more on the noisy and jam-based efforts of their previous two LPs, the band seamlessly blended their Neu!-inspired jams together, giving listeners little time to figure out where one song ended and the other began. Even a bloody fingernail couldn't stop Temple from some serious atmospheric riffing on tracks like "How Do I Know" and "A Different Ship." Although the group barely touched the more down-tempo and minimalist songs from last year's Nigel Godrich-produced LP, fans were treated to a heady performance of Frank Zappa-indebted keyboard lines and searing bass, offering the perfect start to an eclectic line-up ahead.

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