One half of Norway's Kings of Convenience, Erland Øye, opened the show with charmingly minimal indie pop guitar songs. But quiet efforts sometimes go unnoticed, and his songs remained under-appreciated. Pulling the dozy into an all-out ruckus were the ever-improving, always impressive Constantines, who featured tracks from their anxiously awaited Shine A Light disc. New York's latest disco-punk hopefuls, the Rapture, started out with their version of the Psychedelic Furs' "Dumb Waiters," the three-piece turned four-piece got a chance to showcase their new saxophonist and keyboardist, whose addition was arguably the group's best move yet. Luke Jenner's characteristically chaotic wail and urgent shout slowed into melodic come-down chorus lines, but not for long. The dance vibes got heavy when "House of Jealous Lovers" finally made an entrance as closer, at last giving zealous booties a chance to dance. An encore performance featuring Gary Glitter's infamous sports theme song, "Rock and Roll," in one of the most bizarre cover ideas in a while, left question marks floating above many a mind however.
The Rapture / The Constantines / Erland Øye
Opera House, Toronto ON - June 7, 2003
BY Star DTPublished Jan 1, 2006