Gig: Frankie Rose and The Outs

Frankie Rose and The Outs (Little Girls)

The Shop under Parts & Labour. Wednesday, January 12, 2011.

Wickedly cold out after a big snowfall, the last thing I wanted to do on a Wednesday night was head out to Parkdale. My vaguely grumbly mood going in wasn't helped by the fact that the show was starting pretty late for a weeknight, with sets slated for 11:30 and 12:30. So there were some things set against it from the get-go, but at least I was warm as I descended into The Shop's basement space. A laptop DJ played a mix of girl group and similarly retro sounds to set the mood as the place filled up and I looked at my watch, hoping that things would go on relatively on time.

Openers Little Girls, no strangers to playing at The Shop, were having a bit of a tough time getting through a linecheck so the start was indeed pushed back a little. Although it was actually rather instructive to pay attention to Josh McIntyre and company as they prepared — the band's preferred sonic palate is so muffled that someone might mistake their preferred deliberate tweaks for an accidental mess. Once things got underway, the band seemed a bit more prepared to stretch things out and glide along compared to the last time I saw 'em. That had been recent enough that most of the changes in the set were little things — the vocals were higher in the mix, for example. That doesn't mean they're comprehensible, mind you, so much as an echo-y muddle. But definitely a louder one.

Also, as more time goes by, this feels more like a band and less like the bedroom recording project it started as. McIntyre's fellow guitarist¹ is making increasingly key contributions both instrumentally and with his vocals. Again, you have to watch them a little to see just what's going on — given how much echo there is on everything, different voices and guitar lines sometimes bleed and melt into each other. Enjoyable stuff, and I would note that the band is continuing to evolve from what I'd seen here, with McIntyre taking an increased interest in a keyboard-driven sound.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Outside of the vague/wide net of "reverb-heavy pop", there wasn't a lot to align the openers musically with Frankie Rose and The Outs. The band is something of a pedant's dream with all the connections and comparisons that can be drawn out. Frankie Rose's project tends to get lumped in with, say, Best Coast and Dum Dum Girls for narrow stylistic reasons (as well as lazy gender ones). And Rose's past membership in Vivian Girls and Crystal Stilts are easy pointers, too. The scuzzier elements of her sound do link her solo material with the latter bands — and there's a bit of Golden Triangle in there, too. But on record the traces of sonic murk ultimately are subsumed by the pure, sunny AM-radio popcraft of Rose's songs.

Live, with Rose plus a second guit backed by a rhythm section, there's understandably a bit more rock'n'lurch, but there's also an "implied" element of restraint to the songs, like opener "Save Me" (the last track on their self-titled album) which was delivered in an agreeably languid style, the band not in too much of a rush. That mostly worked, but there were a few points where I was kinda waiting for the music to shift up to the next gear, which didn't always happen. Rose did tear into bubblegum anthem "Candy" with some gusto, mind you.

Rose was also in an upbeat mood on stage, praising crowd and venue and even returning a lost wallet that she'd found in the bathroom. Acknowledging the enthusiastic vibe amongst the crowd, the set hit most of the upbeat points of the band's self-titled album, wisely not slowing things down too much with some of the album's quieter moments. There was also a new song or two in there as well.

It was a satisfying set, but not mind-blowing. All told, there wasn't anything here that improved on the album versions. I suppose my reaction is coloured by the fact that this was not my favourite crowd ever. More than a little yappy, there were a lot of people who apparently wanted to come stand right up front and get caught up on their gossip with friends. And during the bouncy "Girlfriend Island", a guy near me started yelling at the woman beside him — though he was later bounced, so was a bit more amped-up than the crowd at large. Still, in a place like Parts & Labour, where you can only really see the band if you're right in front of them, you'd think you'd be able to hear 'em there as well, too.

Listen to a track from this set here.

If you noticed that the pictures here are way better-looking than they normally are in these parts, that's because I've borrowed a few shots with the kind permission of Ivy Leah. Ivy captures the passion of bands because she's passionate about them as well — and can be found right up in the thick of it at many of the city's finer no-bullshit rock'n'roll shows. Check out her stuff here.

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¹ I'm having trouble finding a reputable source for the band's current and relatively stable lineup — even the band's wikipedia entry lists two different lineups.