Concert Reviews

Camera Obscura and Laura Cantrell at The Opera House

Photographs by Neil Van.

It’s pretty easy to imagine a Camera Obscura show going either way. The Scottish band is every bit proficient and talented at their twee-branded pop, but their live show isn’t what’d you call engaging. Thankfully, the Toronto audience was well up for the Tuesday night show at the Opera House – making the entire performance more enjoyable than you might otherwise expect.

“I’m just wondering what day it is, because everyone seems to be in a crazy party mode,” said vocalist Tracyanne Campbell, following a well-received performance of “French Navy”, off of Camera Obscura’s fourth studio album – 2009’s My Maudlin Career. She continued: “Isn’t it like Tuesday? Says a lot.”

The venue itself was sweltering, a thick layer of humidity hanging in the air. Campbell made note of this, asking the crowd if the air conditioning was broken in Canada and noting that on stage, their faces were melting off. At one point, trumpet and tambourine shaker Tim Cronin made a point to leap to the front of the stage and crouch in front of a hot spotlight shining on Campbell – receiving cheers from the crowd for his heroics.

Heat aside, seeing a Camera Obscura show is comparable to going down to your local pub to see a band play. Yes, their musical output is far superior to a band doing bad covers of alt-rock staples, but it is rather monotone, unassuming, and casual. Any hints of instrumental liveliness (and yes, there were some) from the seven-piece band tended to come secondary to Campbell’s trademark deadpan delivery. She’s got a great voice, but her stage presence is like watching April Ludgate on Parks & Rec.

“Forests and Sands”, another from My Maudlin Career, found favour with the Toronto crowd – and for good reason, as the song explicitly calls out our fair city with the line: “But if the blood pumping through my veins could freeze / Like a river in Toronto then I’d be pleased.” Cue cheers.

The band moved from a song about a normally cold place to an exceptionally hot one, following up “Forests and Sands” with “Honey in the Sun”, a song about Mexico City that received a lift with Cronin’s trumpet playing.

The drum and bass-led “If Looks Could Kill”, from Camera Obscura’s third album Let’s Get Out of This Country (2006), had a promising start with Lee Thomson and Gavin Dunbar starting out strong, but the band’s most energetic song also proved their sloppiest. Back-and-forth vocals between Campbell and guitarist Kenny McKeeve seemed out of time and it was a struggle in cohesion. Perhaps the reason for the rather deadpan delivery is that when the band tries to inject more personality into things, the music becomes unhinged. It’s an interesting division – and surprising, given their 18-year history.

What the night came down to was that the Toronto crowd fought to have a good time. This paid huge dividends for the band and contributed to the overall experience of the night.

Campbell ended the three-song encore with a simple: “Cheers Toronto, what a lovely audience.” She was right to call them out for it. Camera Obscura consists of strongly skilled musicians – but they’re definitely a band that need their crowd.

About author

Former Music Editor & Concert Photographer at Live in Limbo. Sarah was born in Toronto. She's worked at some places that you've heard of (like NXNE) and some that you haven't. She is an Academy Delegate at the JUNOs (CARAS). You can usually find Sarah at a concert, on Twitter @beets, or on Instagram @sarahrix. She also likes dogs and cheeseburgers.