A tired energy loomed among the sun-soaked crowd when Montreal post-punk trio Moss Lime hit the Camp Wavelength stage Saturday night (August 20). An emcee excitedly asking the unresponsive crowd to wake up before the group began to play proved ominous; though the band's demure performance brimmed with a certain charm, it ultimately lacked the energy needed to revive the audience.
Playing songs off both 2015's Zoo Du Quebec and 2014's July First, the bilingual three-piece employed groovy guitar riffs and light percussion. The surf-tinged, melodic tracks were certainly pleasant to listen to, but the three performers seemed rather uninterested in engaging with the crowd or each other. When two human-controlled, puppet-like sculptures were brought out into the audience about midway through the set, onlookers' attention switched away from what was actually happening on stage for a considerable amount of time (with no obvious efforts from the band members to redirect it).
There were some notable moments, though — a cover of ubiquitous 2007 house track "Calabria" and a final performance of "I Always Get What I Want" upped the energy a little bit.
The mellow performance suffered from a combination of circumstantial distractions and the usual missteps of a band still coming into their own, but Moss Lime showed they have enough redeeming qualities to pick things back up next time.
Playing songs off both 2015's Zoo Du Quebec and 2014's July First, the bilingual three-piece employed groovy guitar riffs and light percussion. The surf-tinged, melodic tracks were certainly pleasant to listen to, but the three performers seemed rather uninterested in engaging with the crowd or each other. When two human-controlled, puppet-like sculptures were brought out into the audience about midway through the set, onlookers' attention switched away from what was actually happening on stage for a considerable amount of time (with no obvious efforts from the band members to redirect it).
There were some notable moments, though — a cover of ubiquitous 2007 house track "Calabria" and a final performance of "I Always Get What I Want" upped the energy a little bit.
The mellow performance suffered from a combination of circumstantial distractions and the usual missteps of a band still coming into their own, but Moss Lime showed they have enough redeeming qualities to pick things back up next time.