A walk up the stairs of Senegalese restaurant/makeshift indie nightclub Teranga around 9:45 revealed that the evening’s presentation of four talented, somewhat esoteric bands had yet to begin. Arriving early was a stroke of luck, as openers Metz made a lot of noise for a trio, with a chunky sound not far from Unsane, but with an urgent energy that brought memories of seeing Shotmaker at makeshift venues — not a coincidence, considering that Metz relocated from Ottawa and has a former member of Three Penny Opera. Definitely a band worth checking out.

Following Metz were sax/bucket duo Feuermusik, and although those who couldn’t see the group (due to the crowd and Teranga's lack of a stage) may have been confused by the sounds, watching them play is a different thing entirely. Percussionist Gus Weinkauf played three buckets, punctuating the sounds put forth by woodwind handler Jeremy Strachan, who switched between a baritone and an alto saxophone. The baritone Strachan used at this particular show came dangerously close to hitting ‘the brown note’ with me, but either way, their performance was stirring and fun. Both they and Metz also kept their performances to manageable lengths, definitely winning points with this ADD-inflicted writer.

After a short wait, Halifax’s A History Of performed. It’s always nice to see smart local booking — if a touring band isn’t a big name, it’s always better to keep them from the last spot in a night. A decent-sized crowd watched the band’s melodic math-rock; unfortunately the sound system was just too bass-heavy, making for a somewhat painful listening experience that left me pretty drained. They also suffered from an abundance of “Toronto dancing”, which consists of everybody standing in place, and one in three of those people lightly nodding their head.

Closing the show were locals Place Hands, a quartet featuring dual vocals from guitarists Lee Sheppard (formerly of Holding Pattern) and Heidi Hazelton (of Heidi Hazelton). Their frenetic, arrhythmic songs brought the crowd to proportionately higher levels of energy than displayed for the other acts, although it still was a somewhat subdued response to the effort seemingly put forth by the band. That said, appreciation of the show was palpable, and the band were definitely having fun while sustaining tightness. Sheppard’s vocals were controlled and articulate, while Hazelton’s were closer to wild-eyed, pleasing shrieks.  Beyond their work, the rhythm section of Scott Ballem and Brandon Valdivia displayed solid musicianship, and the group had an admirable rapport. It would have been nice for a more energetic response from the attendees to the solid bands presented, but sometimes folks are just too tired to shuffle in time with the music, even if they obviously appreciate it, as those at the show seemed to. 

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