To start off what proved to be a wonderful night of different takes on pop music, The Trouble With Templeton was the first act of the evening. The moniker of singer/songwriter/guitarist Thomas Calder, the music of The Trouble With Templeton could be best described as personal and confessional folk/pop along the lines of such classic artists of the genre such as Nick Drake and Cat Stevens. Calder proved himself to be quite a talented singer, with a haunting voice and a wonderful, down to earth persona and vibe about him. Definitely an act to watch out for over the next few years.
Next was one of the nicest and biggest surprises of the night. Canadian five piece Imaginary Cities were the next act on the bill. Knowing absolutely nothing about the band, this scribe was very pleasantly surprised and quite taken with the Canadian act’s take on classic power pop.This is one of the absolute joys of seeing live music;discovering bands you’ve never heard of and really enjoying what they do. Continuing a rich tradition of great Canadian alternative/pop acts such as The Tragically Hip and The Pursuit Of Happiness, Imaginary Cities, lead by co-lead vocalist and guitarist Rusty Matyas and very talented female vocalist Marti Sarbit, the band very much showcased their debut album, “Temporary Resident”, to a great response from an unfamiliar audience gathering for the headlining act. The album features some great songs such as the title track, “Hummingbird” and “Say You”. A really strong highlight of their set was “Water Under The Bridge”, which the band wrote while on the plane on their way to Australia.
Also a strong influence on Imaginary Cities were some great 1990’s power pop bands fronted by strong female vocalists such as Letters To Cleo and Star 69 and, more recently, the criminally underrated The Duke Spirit, Sarbit proved herself to be a highly versatile vocalist with a vast array of influences such as the blues, jazz and even a healthy dose of 1960’s girl pop such as The Ronettes. What makes her such a strong singer is that she truly makes the songs and the stage her own. The band have obviously been playing together for a while;everything on stage and on a musical level clicked so beautifully. A real surprise and a genuinely exciting band with hopefully a great future ahead of them.
After the wonderful set by Imaginary Cities, it was on to the main act of the evening. Sparkadia, the brainchild of singer/songwriter/guitarist Alex Burnett, specialise in beautifully written and performed power pop in the wonderful vein of some great 90’s Australian bands such as Custard, Ammonia and Pollyanna. A slightly nervous Burnett powered through the first few songs of the set before he talked to the crowd. Backed by a powerhouse band, Burnett proceeded to charm the crowd with a good mix of tracks from the bands two albums, 2008’s “Postcards” and this year’s “The Great Impression”.
The band definitely brough something special to the material. Live, the songs sounded more powerful and muscular than what they do in the studio. Also, both Burnett’s wonderful voice and his fantastic way with words as a lyricist are more to the forefront. One of the best lines in a song this year features in “Talking Like I’m Falling Down Stairs”, where Burnett talks about ‘walking like a young John Wayne’! He has a truly gifted way with a song.
Tonight was very much about Sparkadia stepping up in regards to what type of band they are. This was their first headling tour and Burnett later mentioned how he had chosen the support acts himself. The man has a really strong ear for music.
Musical highlights this evening included a fantastic version of “Mary”, which had the crowd singing along in great voice. Burnett lhad a good laugh after performing it, saying that he felt like he was in church! He later mentioned that this crowd tonight at The Forum was the biggest that the band had ever performed in front of, which explained some of the early nervousness. By this point, he had well and truly won the crowd over. Other highlights included a rather joyous version of the band’s first single from a few years ago, “Morning Light”, a stunning version of “China”, “Jealously” and a hauntingly beautiful version of “Space And Time”, performed solo by Burnett with an acoustic guitar as part of the encore.
All in all, a fantastic night. Some really wonderful and highly enjoyable interpretations on what pop music means in 2011.
– Neil Evans
