If it ain't Broke...
Whether it’s down to an inferiority complex I’m not sure, but Canadian bands seem to have a thing about size - Arcade Fire, who take to the stage with a cornucopia of members and even more instruments, being the obvious example. Somewhat more of a cult concern, though similarly never knowingly understaffed, are Broken Social Scene , who I’ve now seen twice within the space of a week. Whilst AF have developed an epic sound geared towards the mainstream, and have at the very least become as big a cult band as one can possibly be without “crossing over”, BSS tread a more esoteric path - capable of emitting an almighty noise for sure, but equally likely to break into bouts of noodling interspered with shoegazey vocals. On record this doesn’t always hit the mark for me, their previous albums being a bit too rambling for my tastes. In the flesh, though, you get a much more engaging experience, and after their gig at Heaven on Monday night (which is normally what I imagine must be a ...