David Kilgour and The Phoenix Foundation
Bar Bodega
04/09/17

Starting up with a 3-guitar set-up, The Phoenix Foundation demonstrated their large soundscape from the first note. With a packed crowd in front of them, they somehow managed to fit all five of them plus all their assorted gear on the small bodega stage.

Displaying a few new songs, they got a warm reception from the milling crowd. The band kept promising to explode, but never quite did… The new songs were good; an indication of what the new album will sound like? Early Martin Phillips was a label that leapt into my head

I’ve seen better Phoenix Foundation gigs, they played well, they played a good set, but they didn’t play as well as I expected. I guess good bands have off days. The crowd cheered and hooted heartily for them.

David Kilgour and The Heavy Eights started up with a wash of guitar, standing around playing their instruments, the band and Kilgour didn’t really have a an impact on me. I was expecting the front man from The Clean to come out and sing a song about getting older or sallying forward or something along those lines. However, what I got was an introspective musician, singing safe songs, which I thought weren’t very edgy or catchy.

Maybe I should have listened to some of his more recent work. But I ended up surprised and a little disappointed. As he went through his set, a few things came out at me. The last couple of songs were more interesting, stayed in my head a bit clearer. Most of the people around me were lapping it up. Hollering with delight and always demanding more.

It got to the point where he ended his set, nobody moved. The crowd shouted and demanded and he came back. He did. Kilgour finished his first encore, he left. The crowd shouted and demanded and he came back. I think this happened five times in total. I’d never seen anything like that before. It was amazing, a real indication of the high regard Kilgour is held in.

Overall, the gig disappointed me, I expected more from the two bands, they gave good polished sets, yet I expected more from them. I left probably the most disappointed I have ever been. Not because they were crap, but because I felt, they let me down. I’ll definitely see both bands again. Because I know, they are capable of much more.