Japanese Breakfast

The Garrison, Toronto ON, October 7

Photo: Stephen McGill

BY Ava MuirPublished Oct 8, 2017

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"It's a band consensus that if we could live in any of the cities we've been to in the past four weeks, it would be Toronto," Michelle Zauner informed the sold-out crowd at the Garrison on Saturday night (October 7).
 
After a three-night stand at the now defunct Silver Dollar Room this past April, Japanese Breakfast feel at home in Toronto. Zauner's comfort on stage and gratitude for everyone who had gathered was abundantly clear as she effortlessly kicked off the set alongside her three band members.
 
Having released their sophomore full-length Soft Sounds from Another Planet this summer, Japanese Breakfast wasted no time in treating the audience to fresh cuts from the record. The soulful bassline and groovy, synth-laden hooks of "Road Head" washed over the room, while Zauner's vulnerability shone through in "Boyish," onlookers emphatically singing along to her tender lyrics of "I can't get you off my mind, I can't get you off in general."
 
Being sure not to neglect their breakout record, the band delivered stellar renditions of the dreamy "Jane Cum," upbeat "Everybody Wants to Love You" and intimate "Triple 7" (as requested by a fan), all off of last year's Psychopomp.
 
Zauner's charismatic and engaging personality made her an excellent frontwoman, naturally drawing the audience in with friendly banter in between songs.
 
"I wrote this song after a Canadian musician I love died last year — Leonard Cohen. When all the celebrities were dying and our country was falling apart. It's about the people who stand by you when all the shit is falling down," she told listeners before launching into Soft Sounds' "Till Death."
 
When she wasn't behind the synth or wielding a white guitar, Zauner prowled across the stage and jumped into the thick of the crowd, her palpable confidence solidifying her as an accomplished live performer.
 
 

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