Live Review: Islands, WHY?, Gemina Pearl Band, Au @ Lenny’s, October 31

By Kenny Crucial

"Sugar, honey, honey, you are my candy girl…" Thanks to Jemina Pearl, both
the stage and the headliner, Islands, were indeed covered in powdered sugar. She
pounced on the stage and doused everyone with a bag of sugar. And Islands
celebrated the event with a partial rendition of The Archies classic. In a set
that was punctuated by references to car bombs and torture,
guitarist-keyboardist could not help but echo Dick Cheney when he pronounced
that Archie had gone to the dark side.

The Montreal quartet was led by the ever-mercurial Nick Diamonds as he wove
through a series of Halloween night land mines to give the costumed crowd a
truly sexy night. As he performed, he mingled with the audience. And in his
version of a costume contest, he invited two female Waldos to join him
dancing on stage. Songs like "Creeper" and "In the Arm" added to the frightening
effect. The eerie keyboard lines underscored the ghoulish atmosphere.

Nick’s wry cynicism added to the excitement of the show. His commentary is
often as entertaining as his lively songs: "We’re not in costumes except for
Jamie [the drummer] who’s the Unabomber. The rest of us are just being
ourselves." Of course, Nick first graced the stage with an elegant
sequin-studded white cape. He has always added an element of mystery to his
shows. And his ringing guitar lines have often been the key element in the
songs. Jamie Tambour pushed the fervor of the night with his stunning dance
beats. In "Don’t Call me Whitney, Bobby" he provided a rousing calypso. Brothers
Geordie and Evan Gordon added luxurious keyboard textures to the new sound.

The set climaxed with the epic "Swans" It was both meditative and uplifting
at the same time. The relentless rave ups built to Nick’s dramatic guitar outro
for an enthralled Lenny’s crowd.

WHY? preceded Islands with a particularly astounding set that left much of the
crowd in awe. Yoni Wolf (below) has focused his forays into hip-hop and spoken word with
the fragile persona of indie pop. In "These Few Presidents" he exposed that
vulnerability: "Even though I haven’t seen you in years/Yours is a funeral I’d
fly to from anywhere." Amidst "the smell of our human bodies," the song’s
narrator voiced an unworthiness confronted with the lover’s "perfect skin."

Jemina Pearl, former singer of Be Your Own Pet, has assembled a more rocking
lineup for her new band. To emphasize the point, the gang dressed as Fleetwood
Mack. There is still an element of punk in the new sound but the edges have been
rounded off with more guitar stylings. And Gemina’s Nashville roots can be heard
more clearly in her vocals.

Au opened the night with its own experimental blend of the frenetic with
calypso. The haunted house of Lenny’s shook all night long!