Photos by Neil Van
It might sound silly to emphasize any musician’s ability to create work that focuses on the human connection so well, given that arguably, in one way or another, that’s what most music is about. But, regardless – it feels tangibly true at an Oh Wonder show. The UK-duo built a passionate fan base by zeroing in on those relationships in nearly every facet of their career, so strongly that they brought their supporters for three sold-out nights at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto.
Consider their early days, dropping a song a month for a year, in hopes of each one resonating with someone, to documenting their interactions with fans on their social media, all the way to today, performing a song called “High on Humans” from their sophomore album, Ultralife. Singers Anthony and Josephine are genuinely interested and curious in what that human essence is all about, and that manifests itself in what they do. They spoke about their day off in Toronto, visiting Trinity Bellwoods and eating at The Early Bird, at one point dressed in Peace Collective t-shirts. At later shows, they wore Blue Jays jerseys.
It even comes across in their performance, where you’ll recognize a striking synchronicity between the pair, energetically together, sonically lovely. Catch them harmonizing on songs like favourites “Livewire”, “Lose It”, “Dazzle” or electronic bubblegum “Heart Strings”; you’ll find their featherweight vocals are gentle, sweet to the point that they’ll induce a few tingly butterflies and goosebumps. With the pulsing lights brightening the giant O W that adorned the stage, you’re literally moving to the technicolour beats they sing about. If this is what it means to be high on humans, then it’s a welcomed experience.
When Josephine spoke about their first show in the same venue in early 2016, a sold-out affair as well, she said “It was one of the most memorable shows of the whole touring life,” while Anthony shared that this string of dates were the fastest-selling from the whole Ultralife tour. Undoubtedly, the endless throes of screams, particularly to the abundance of material shared from their debut album, including a folk-laden rendition of “Midnight Moon”, will help define another memory for their catalogue. Their show is certainly a good reason as to why it’s good to be an Oh Wonder fan; it’s fun, but it’s also a beautiful human experience.
