Broken Social Scene, MacEwan Hall 15/11/05

There are two bands from Canada which remain connected to my stomach, my heart and my mind: Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene. Last night I was witness to the lofi spectacle of the latter, who shuffled and jived their way through a 150 minute set at the University of Calgary. Some of the 'old' songs (read 2003) like 'Cause=Time' and 'Stars and Sons' suffered from loose treatment, but whilst it took the band a while to really warm up the crowd - a thousand or so immobile, stone-faced teenage indie kids who really don't know how lucky they are - the 'Scene endeared themselves to the audience with their shambolic charm and ability to make a Thebarton Theatre size room feel like a pub. For me, this was always going to be an emotional experience because I discovered BSS at the beginning of a magical summer back home, treading the line between the darkness of my bedroom and the lazy green of the Adelaide hills. I'll always think of those times when I hear 'You Forgot it in People' (the 'break through' 2003 album) and the associated EP releases. When I heard 'Backyards' I was sent into a mental timewarp. I was watching the band play the songs which are the soundtrack to a time of my life which remains as clear in my head now as the rain on the freeway was then. The most magical moment was, ironically, not really attributable to Broken Social Scene, but to two of its members who are also in the aforementioned Do Make Say Think. They got the band started on 'Frederica', and even just hearing the first verse (which is about as far as they got) warmed my soul. A band which has 8-15 members at any given time on stage affords each member certain freedoms which are not found in traditional smaller band lineups. Kevin Drew ('lead singer', when he's not off playing guitar or keys) was able to go to the bathroom without anyone noticing. That's pretty cool. There was plenty of conversation, inter-song jamming and interaction with the audience. These guys don't know the meaning of the word 'pretentious'. Best tracks of the night included a screaming 'Almost Crimes', 'Major Label Debut', 'Superconnected' and 'Ibi Dreams of Pavement'. A Hidden Cameras song made it into the set. 'Lovers Spit', which closed the first set, was heavy and sad and mesmerising like it always should have been. However - sadly, most sadly, the best track from the new album didn't make it ('Windsurfing Nation') but I suppose they didn't have K'os backstage to take the lead on that one... and sure, it would have been nice to see Emily Haines and Leslie Feist join the fray, but hey, this was Broken Social Scene. They have enough 'core members' to survive any such minor lineup changes and I was there watching my fucking indie-rock heroes getting drunk and playing their hearts out.