It seems like TV on the Radio has had one of those careers that’s always kept them consistently interesting – just never consistently in the spotlight. They’ve worked with some of the biggest names in music (David Bowie, Trent Reznor, Nick Zinner, etc.), picked up plenty of critical acclaim, and had their songs featured in countless television shows and commercials. You’d expect them to be bigger, really, but setbacks in both their professional and personal lives hasn’t helped (notably the death of bass player Gerard Smith in 2011 coinciding with the release of fourth album Nine Types of Light.)
It’s hard to know if they care about mass popularity, frankly. Watching them on stage, performing on a chilly Friday evening for Toronto’s Luminato Festival, gave me the sense they’re destined to make music. Any pubic acknowledgement is just icing on the cake. It’s the kind of laissez-faire attitude that allows them to showcase their talent, but means they’ll probably never be anyone’s absolute favourite band.
The venue itself – an outdoor square transformed by Luminato into a beach-like setting – was criminally undersold, but the feelings among the crowd were positive with fans enjoying a rather intimate setting in Toronto’s skyscraper downtown core.
The six-piece band started strong – a testament to their years spent playing festivals – opening with the familiar “Young Liars”, the 2003 title track from their first major release: an EP that showcased their genre-bending style and appeal. They front-loaded their set with another single: 2008’s “Golden Age” coming out early and upping the energy.
Guitarist Kyp Malone and singer Tunde Adebimpe were responsible for much of the banter – the band’s other core member, guitarist Dave Sitek, fairly reserved. Malone and Adebimpe evidently have senses of humour, introducing numbers by saying things like: “This is a song,” “Here’s another song – it’s not the one you asked for, but it’s just as good,” and Malone, at one point, remarking: “I can’t here you. I literally can’t hear you… You don’t understand. I’m immune to praise.”
Their trombonist gave TV on the Radio’s live show a lot of lift, as did birthday boy/percussionist Jaleel Bunton on “Wolf Like Me” – a 2006 single that tends to be forgotten until it pops up again and you’re instantly reminded of how great it really is.
New material also made an appearance, TV on the Radio telling the crowd “you’re now the third group of people to hear that song.” Apparently titled “Test Pilot” (and debuted just a week earlier at Governors Ball in their hometown of New York,) the track is a bit of a slower, more measured approach – guitar chords coming in more pronounced rather than the preceding “Wolf Like Me” and its jittering sensibilities.
“Repetition,” from 2011’s Nine Types of Light, kept Adebimpe busy with its fast vocals, an upbeat song that ended their set – the crowd brought them back out for a two-song encore. Returning to the stage, Adebimpe earnestly stated that Toronto is one of their favourite cities to play.
They certainly seemed happy to be there and happy to be making music, wrapping up their encore by telling the audience they’d be back in the fall with new material. It’ll be a show worth going to (again, they’re a fantastic band,) but I’m still thinking that without that killer instinct, the whole “memorable” and “favourite band” thing will forever escape them. It’s a shame, really, but I have a hard time believing they’re all too concerned with that fact.
