[from Toronto,
Ontario, Canada]: It did get better. It got best. I don’t know how I found this
band. I just know in 2018, I played “Rescue, Mister” over and over and over again,
waiting for the delicious downshift at 1:25. The whole song though. You’re
running down a city street at night, feeling wise, a little scared, kind of
excited, laughing at yourself for all this pretension. A gorgeous encapsulation
of genres I’ve liked forever (dark, synthy, industrial) … but different. And
that was the show. I didn’t realize how genuinely odd his voice is. He’s
pretty, a sexy fey 80s pool-boy, fluffed blonde hair, wide armhole tank top,
tight leggings. It took me until mid-show to realize his leggings were not bedazzled
but rather chained in leather bondage stuff, ja. He never stopped moving –
leaping back and forth. I don’t like it when the trying is too obvious but he
felt genuine and inviting – he loves their music and he wants you to love it
too. Sometimes it was sexy and masterful: dance commander. Sometimes it was
floppy and over-exaggerated, maybe even disturbing and unbalanced, or maybe
encouraging everyone that they’re welcome at this party no matter how freaky they
might be. He owns the stage, and we are owned by he. He wasn’t the only star of
the show though. Setting up, the keyboardist was only your mildly edgy suburban
friend, in her animal-print shirt. By mid-set, her thin curls were a parallel
plane around her swirling head and her raised hand was dicating the movement of
the masses. And then the drummer, the most ‘approachable’ of the band members. None
of the band members engaged directly during the show, but the drummer chatted
with an audience member before the set and vibrated joy throughout: broad
shoulders, blunt tribal drumming. The lead singer would leave the stage
periodically, and during one long break, the drummer and keyboadist went into a
glorious jam of joy. For all that they’re a dark ‘strange’ band, their vibe is
heart, acceptance, generosity. Like badasses who are still enough in touch with
their weirdness and innocence that you feel like maybe you can be a part of
their badass world. Literally one of the most joyful shows I’ve ever been to.
And it wasn’t just body effort, stage presence – their actual sound goes from
sexy pound, club cool, to silly joyous, religious uprising, solemn pondering.
And they manage all those sounds so deftly that they’re firmly TR/ST through
them all. Not to get too Toronto, but
Hidden Cameras aren’t from the same city for nothing. If only they could follow
me around to provide the soundtrack to my life, making every moment a little
bit more. If it’s not clear, I adore this band.
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