I doubt many fans of The Growlers ever really expected to see their favourite beach goth rockers in Ottawa, and yet there they were on day four of Bluesfest. They took to the stage in the haze of a hot evening, attracting a small but attentive crowd that grew larger throughout the performance. Really, who can resist the swinging cool of psychedelic garage rock?
Lead vocalist Brooks Neilson is an enigmatic performer with a nasally growl of a voice. He spoke very little in between songs, pausing once to say something along the lines of “Oh, this is wonderful, this is beautiful . . . We wanted doves but we got seagulls.” Take from that what you will.
While The Growlers give off an aura of grungy cool, they don’t eschew earnestness. “I’ll forgive you friend/Forgive me and we can be in love again,” Neilson begged in a standout performance of “Naked Kids.” The band seemed miraculously unaffected by the heat throughout their set, but maybe that’s just how beach goths roll.
Shakey Graves took to the Canadian Stage after The Growlers. When I was at bluegrass folk singer Parker Millsap’s concert, some friendly rando leaned over to me and shout-whispered, “If you liked this, you should see Shakey Graves!” So there I was at the show of another young Americana musician with a whimsical name. Graves cultivated a hard blues-rock sound with a fuzzy guitar and thundering drums. He was just getting the crowd pumped up with a joyous anthem when I dashed off to catch Pony Girl’s performance at the Barney Danson Theatre.
I’m glad I dashed, though! It was a night of celebration for Pony Girl—they’ll soon be releasing a new album and it was their bassist Greggory Clark’s birthday. The Ottawa based art-rockers were my day four highlight. Their set flew by way too fast. Pascal Huot and Yolande Laroche’s harmonies were beautiful and the whole band used the venue to create lovely atmospheric soundscapes. Along with singing, Laroche also added complexity to the band’s sound with some lovely interludes on the clarinet.
The musicians of Pony Girl aren’t afraid to be strange and meandering, nor do they balk from tackling unusual lyrical themes. “This is a song about a boat made of ivory that doesn’t float,” Huot announced near the end of the set, garnering a few confused chuckles. However, the final song, “Demon Dream,” dealt with something universally understandable: “no matter how far away you go you’ll never be away from yourself.” The song gradually built to a stunning instrumental conclusion—a perfect ending to an excellent performance.
