On December 4th, Torontonians lined up at the Phoenix to attend 102.1 The Edge’s Jingle Bell Concert Series. The line up included Le Trouble, Royal Tusk, Dear Rouge and Wildlife.
Montreal-based-band, Le Trouble opened the night. The lead singer moved his hips on stage as if to copy Mick Jagger. They interacted with the audience well, getting the fans to sing-a-long to the singles. The Phoenix wasn’t full yet and you could see the holes in the crowd as you looked around. The night was still early.
Taking the stage next was Royal Tusk, who’s had a pretty good couple of months. Having made the recent list of CBC’s Music Awards as a Rising Star, Royal Tusk handled the stage easily. This won’t be the last we’ve heard from them, as the hype is only about to get bigger.
BC band Dear Rouge stood out the most out of all the acts, with adding more to the stage with their backing lightening and dramatic entrance. Front duo, Drew and Danielle, who are married in real life, played off each other’s energy throughout the set. It was nice to see the couple act like no one else was watching him or her as they shared eye contact throughout their set. Having been on a nonstop back and forth of our home and native land, Dear Rouge’s stardom has been picking up since they first came onto the scene back in 2012. Danielle played with the crowd, making sure to make her way to each side of the stage and asking Toronto if they were having a good time.
As the headliners, Wildlife took the stage, dressed in their signature all black outfits with yellow armbands. As lights shot out from the back of the stage into the audience, the five guys walked on and started the show with bang. The room was full, dancing, throwing their hands in the air as they sang along with the band. Described on their site as having “loud yet heart-felt, distinct for its punk-tinged ferocity and truly unique melodies”, you see that clearly in their live show. Lead singer, Dean Povinsky, dripped with sweat as he gave it his all to each lyric with the crowd singing back to him.
Overall, The Jingle Bell Concerts Series welcomed the holiday spirit in true style with great Canadian artists who know how to put on a good show for a Thursday night.
