Photographs by Neil Van.
July Talk has had a good year. A great year, even – their stock steadily on the rise and their hometown fan base growing more rabid and involved, show-by-show. The Toronto band capped off their 2014 with two back-to-back sold-out performances – their first as part of 102.1 The Edge’s Jingle Bell Rock series, playing to a rammed Phoenix Concert Theatre. The atmosphere in the venue was jubilant and rowdy, the crowd keenly aware of July Talk’s reputation for stellar live shows.
It’s this reputation that has carried them well past the confines of modern radio. While they’ve picked up airplay on both 102.1 The Edge and Indie 88.1, vocalist/guitarist Peter Dreimanis and vocalist Leah Fay are at their best when playing to a crowd. They play off one another, building tension throughout their set that’s both playful and snarling. The pair know how to work the crowd into a frenzy – and it helps that the audience coming to the show are all too ready to froth at the mouth, belting out lyrics to the rafters and back.
Opening for July Talk was Vancouver’s Gay Nineties. The four-piece put on a fun display of swinging pop rock, keenly sharing bouncy hooks and stomp-start drums. Vocalist Parker Bossley looked like he stepped out of a Twisted Sister concert in the late 70s or early 80s, but brought a vocal timbre much more placed within the mid 2000s-scenester era. It was theatrical and playful, bordering on campy. That’s not a bad thing – just an obvious ode to the fact they’re having fun with what they’re doing. A rigorous cover of Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker’s “American Girl” seemed a natural fit and they received a warm reception as their opening set came to a close.
As for July Talk: it’s hard to overstate their abilities as a live band. They’ve received accolades for their performances – topping do416’s listing as the best live show of 2014, in fact. While normally a five-piece, the band also added another member to their lineup, bringing on a keyboardist to round out their sound.
Opening track “Blood + Honey” was a quick CliffsNotes of the band’s general layout – heavy instrumentally and showcasing Dreimanis’ gruff vocals against Fay’s sickly sweet delivery. Their aesthetic was similarly jarring: flashing strobes blasting against simple white stand-ups; Dreimanis in his standard white button-down, Fay in an ostentatious fur coat.
“Summer Dress” – a guitar-heavy song from their self-titled 2013 debut – saw the crowd chanting back lyrics to match its near-spoken delivery, Dreimanis and Fay flirting through the bridge as he helped to ease off her outer layer in the sweltering club.
The audience was also treated to new songs, Dreimanis introducing “Gentleman” and advising people to get out of unhealthy relationships, quickly launching into a menacing first verse complete with a deep growl and plodding piano line. It soon morphed into a more drum-and-bass driven song (from Danny Miles and Josh Warburton, respectively) for its choruses. Vocally, it’s a track that still needs some work, but as a complete piece it gave both Dreimanis and Fay time to play off one another. Another of their new additions to the setlist came with “Uninvited”, a track included in the deluxe re-release of their debut. Again, it poked some holes in their vocal work but benefited greatly from the sure-footed standing of the entire band.
They were having a good time on stage, Fay playing it up for her parents who were watching from a balcony off to the side. “I’ve just thought of something,” she told the crowd. “I haven’t crowd surfed since I was 17… I don’t feel like crowd surfing, but I feel like taking a nap. On all of you. Just pass me around. But don’t squeeze me anywhere. I will fucking kill you, I swear to god.”
Familiar material proved strong, too, with “Guns + Ammunition” requiring only a simple start of “hoo hoo hoo” to get the crowd ready – a fan with a homemade July Talk shirt one of many to crowd surf his way to the stage, Dreimanis stripping it off of him and holding the garment aloft.
Importantly, there’s a belief in July Talk that they’re rock stars destined for bigger stages. It does wonders for their show and for the audience’s willingness to embrace them. It doesn’t hurt that the band themselves seem like nice people. Dreimanis made it a point to thank the crew who put the show together while Fay paid special attention to caring for the fans involved in the rowdy mosh pit below.
“We started this band at Queen and Bathurst,” Dreimanis remarked, before ending the main portion of their set with the big “Paper Girl”. Their lone roadie, responsible for clearing the stage of crowd surfers, looked on in exasperation as they piled on for the final hurrah. Guitarist Ian Docherty did his part to compensate for the overcrowding, launching himself into the arms of fans below.
Returning for a two-song encore of “My Neck” and “The Garden”, July Talk has certainly cemented their standings as a live band and will undoubtedly boost whiskey sales across the country (simply because they’re a band that encourages your vices). They also seem to have developed an organic, naturally grown community around their band, developing fans that will come out swinging for them, time and again. Best of all: they don’t seem to be taking any of it for granted.
They’re rock stars, all right. They don’t really need to convince the general public of that any more – but it goes a long way that they’re still making the effort.
