His first Ottawa appearance since his involvement in Secret Path, Gord Downie's multimedia project on residential schools, Kevin Drew returned on Thursday night for yet another emotionally powerful performance. Supporting his criminally underrated fourth solo album, Aging, the Broken Social Scene member dedicated the evening to his recently deceased mother.
Half-filling the National Arts Centre's ultra-modern 300-seat black box theatre, regularly used for contemporary art performances, Drew brought along Zoon in a solo configuration. Standing above a buffet of guitar pedals, Daniel Monkman opened the show with waves of hazy, ambient soundscapes courtesy of an Omnichord and tape machine. Over 20 minutes, Monkman delivered just four songs, weaving insightful narratives while transitioning from electric guitar on "Honor Song" to effects-laden acoustic on "Awesiinh (A-Way-See)."
Looking dapper in a rose sports jacket and baseball hat, Drew reached back into his songbook to kick off his set with "Residential Love Song," a cascading instrumental by his pre-Broken Social Scene outfit, K.C. Accidental.
Accompanied by guitarist Daniel Ledwell, who Drew affectionately referred to as "Jenn Grant's husband," the duo ran through stripped-down versions of two Broken Social Scene songs, the 2019 track "Can't Find My Heart" and 2010 fan favourite "World Sick." Including solo material like "F-ked Up Kid" and "Safety Bricks," Drew seamlessly migrated to the stageless studio's grand piano for a captivating rendition of "Good Sex."
Sharing heartfelt anecdotes about his close relationships with both Daniels — Monkman and Ledwell — while humorously quoting his father's advice ("You'd achieve more success if you wrote fewer songs about bodily fluids"), the overarching theme of the night centered around love and loss. Recognizing a friend of his late mother's, who had just learned of her passing, Drew approached him at his seat with an embrace.
Maintaining a light and relaxed atmosphere throughout the evening, which included engaging conversations with the audience (highlighted by a recurring joke about how no one talks about the Canadian Shield), Drew decided to introduce a moment of tension by dedicating his song "Out in the Fields" to a local journalist. Addressing previous accusations from the journalist regarding his vaccination status, Drew vaguely expressed a mix of remorse and conviction regarding their public dispute before telling the crowd he's not "anti-anything."
Transitioning into a trio of Broken Social Scene numbers, Drew jumped behind the keyboard for his jovial impression of a generic Doogie Howser, M.D. score before moving back to the grand piano for a crystalline rendition of "Lover's Spit" that found the timid crowd singing along.
Asking the room to verbally name someone close to them who they've lost, Drew approached the evening's encore by triumphantly saying his mother's name; Maggie. Culminating with a rendition of Broken Social Scene's "It's All Gonna Break" along with advice to cherish "positivity and love," Kevin Drew closed off an affecting and intimate set with a sense of hopefulness.
