Playing a series of warm-up shows before heading off on an East coast tour with fellow Montreal indie rockers the Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk paid a visit to Wakefield, QC on a soggy Saturday night.
Opening to a sizeable Black Sheep Inn audience, Montreal's Adam & the Amethysts, featuring Adam Waito of Miracle Fortress on guitar and Rebecca Lessard on cello, were forced to deliver a stripped-down stage show due to multiple band-member absentees. Missing their chiming rhythm section, background vocals and majestic build-ups, the band were given the opportunity to display the same hushed vocal laments that allow Toronto artists like Bahamas and the Wooden Sky to sound so intimate. Unfortunately, Waito seemed to lack the charisma, both with his stage presence and material, needed to capture the crowd.
Hitting the stage at the very un-rock'n'roll time of 10 p.m. and using a fill-in drummer, Land of Talk wasted little time finding their groove as Waito joined the trio on bass for "Corner Phone" and "Magnetic Hill." Cradling her trademark Gibson SG and emitting the same old zeal that drove songs like "Yuppy Flu" and "Young Bridge," Elizabeth Powell confirmed with the Black Sheep crowd that she has fully recovered from recent throat surgery.
Performances of "Summer Special," "Some Are Lakes," "It's Okay" and "Speak to Me Bones" demonstrated just how many fan-pleasing songs the band have already produced in their short existence. Despite straying away from any new material, Land of Talk finally managed to woo the previously unmoved audience with a gorgeous acoustic cover of Big Star's "Thirteen," which saw Powell sashaying across the stage while proving that you don't have to be the next Feist to find your audience.
Opening to a sizeable Black Sheep Inn audience, Montreal's Adam & the Amethysts, featuring Adam Waito of Miracle Fortress on guitar and Rebecca Lessard on cello, were forced to deliver a stripped-down stage show due to multiple band-member absentees. Missing their chiming rhythm section, background vocals and majestic build-ups, the band were given the opportunity to display the same hushed vocal laments that allow Toronto artists like Bahamas and the Wooden Sky to sound so intimate. Unfortunately, Waito seemed to lack the charisma, both with his stage presence and material, needed to capture the crowd.
Hitting the stage at the very un-rock'n'roll time of 10 p.m. and using a fill-in drummer, Land of Talk wasted little time finding their groove as Waito joined the trio on bass for "Corner Phone" and "Magnetic Hill." Cradling her trademark Gibson SG and emitting the same old zeal that drove songs like "Yuppy Flu" and "Young Bridge," Elizabeth Powell confirmed with the Black Sheep crowd that she has fully recovered from recent throat surgery.
Performances of "Summer Special," "Some Are Lakes," "It's Okay" and "Speak to Me Bones" demonstrated just how many fan-pleasing songs the band have already produced in their short existence. Despite straying away from any new material, Land of Talk finally managed to woo the previously unmoved audience with a gorgeous acoustic cover of Big Star's "Thirteen," which saw Powell sashaying across the stage while proving that you don't have to be the next Feist to find your audience.
