Lawrence Mackin reviews Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drewat the Tripod, Dublin
Trying to pin down all the members of Broken Social Scene (BSS) must be nigh impossible. With a burgeoning population of about 19, the band are now splintering off into meandering solo projects and other musical preoccupations, so this gig, fronted by Kevin Drew and a band almost exclusively recruited from BSS ranks, is as close as an Irish audience is likely to get to a full-blooded show by the Canadian group. Drew is touring his own semi-solo album,
Spirit If . . ., the first in a series of solo outings by BSS member which will be billed under the "Broken Social Scene presents" banner. Confused? Us too.
But this gig is about much more than Drew. Together with Brendan Canning, he is largely the creative force behind BSS and his jangly, shimmering, shoe-gazey rock music is fairly indistinguishable from the Broken stable.
Sure, it might not have the killer hooks that made BSS's eponymously titled album of 2005 hard to turn off, and maybe most of the tracks meander on longer than they should. But what the packed crowd got was a slightly stripped down BSS, that made up for what it lacked in polish with bundles of enthusiasm and scorching energy.
Things started off on an upbeat, if somewhat tenuous note. A sound if not rock solid version of F--ked Up Kidgot the crowd bouncing, and Stars and Sonsis irresistible, but it took a good hour for these socialites to work the crowd.
In between, we're exposed to gloriously shambling melodic rock, played with infectious good humour, while shapes are slung gleefully around the stage. The playing is rough and ready, and more than once Drew calls a halt to proceedings to restart choruses or even tracks.
"We're not very professional, and we never will be," he tells the crowd, but few would want BSS to play note perfect.
The goofy, charming nature of the tracks, the irrepressible good humour, the summery hum from the wrenched guitar chords, not to mention the shining cover versions of The Wagonby Dinosaur Jr and a stupefying version of Where the Streets Have No Name- few bands could come to Dublin, cover U2 virtually irony free and have the whole room rampant - all of this is pulled off with guts and style and the night is finished on a strong enough footing to fool you into thinking it was this good the whole way through.
