MAGICAL Evenings: June 18, 19 Music Show Reviews
Last week I went to two music events at a local bar, Poacher’s Arms, 171 Queens Ave. The first one was a free event on Wednesday called “Queerrr Jam”. This was held in collaboration with “Grrrls Jam”, a free event held at Poachers Arms once a month, where femme and gender-nonconforming people can go up and jam on the Poacher’s stage. In this case, it was for anyone within the queer community to perform at. Queerrr Jam was run in collaboration with MAGICAL 519, which stands for Multicultural Accessible Gatherings Improving 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Affirmation in London, a collective that aims to connect queer Londoners with each other. The newly formed group held a series of free Pride events that weekend, including Queerr Jam and a film screening.
However, my night started off not at Poachers, but at Imagine Cinemas, with the MAGICAL screening of the documentary Paris is Burning for its 35th anniversary. This film explores queer culture in NYC in the late 80s. It follows a mainly Black community that holds competitions for various areas, such as best dressed, best body, and best face etc.. The documentary was inspiring, seeing people, especially the very young people, thriving in a time that did not want them. It ended on a devastating note, however, when we are told the tragic news of the death of one of the young members. For anyone who missed the screening, it is available on YouTube.
To liven things back up again, many of the people who attended the movie walked to the bar at Richmond and Queens, to see a new generation of queer people do something that they love: play music. This started off with two songs from the house band, and then the stage opened up to anyone wanting to perform. People played their own renditions of songs, including, “Black Sheep” by Metric and “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, as well as original pieces, including some that they made up on the spot.
The following night was a small concert of four local bands. These were Bulls, Enobini, La Rent, and Whine Problem.
Bulls is a musical duo, comprised of Josh and Lee. This was a highly engaging set for the audience, with people jumping and dancing the whole time. When they perform, they often invite other musicians to join them. This time they were joined by two members of the headlining band Whine Problem and two other musicians. The singer of Bulls is also a member of Whine Problem. One guest was an electric violinist, who sang part of a song as well. This was unexpected, but so good. The singer from Whine Problem, Hunter, did an excellent job doing backing and some main vocals for this Bulls performance. Their song “Advertise/Synergize” was a highlight of their set, with a pounding chorus and speaks to the modern person’s life under capitalism and authoritarian style work (and life) places.
Next up was the loudest band I have ever heard. This was a band called Enobini, a musical trio from Guelph. I believe they were the reason there was a box of free ear plugs at the entrance. Loudness is not a bad thing, and it worked really well for them and their energetic style.
The third band to play was called La Rent. Compared to the last two, they were much more mellow and quiet. They are an indie rock band from here in London, Ontario. This is a multitalented band, showcased when halfway through their set, the drummer and the singer/guitarist switched places, and took on the other’s role completely. They ended their set with a song about dancing which had everyone in front of the stage moving.
Finally, the headlining band, Whine Problem, ended the night. They are a four-piece post-punk band from London, Ontario, with the members all attending Western University for music studies. The members are Hunter, the lead singer; Lee, the guitar and vocals; Emrys, the bass and vocals; and Cora, the drums. Hunter is going to Western for opera singing, a completely different genre than what the band performs, though it is obvious she has amazing vocal control. Often when she does higher notes, it is contrasted by Lee doing lower and rougher ones. This makes a great combination for their music. For the uninformed, Poachers is set up in two main rooms, one with a stage, and one with a lot of tables and booths. Whine Problem got everyone in both sections out of their seats and in front of the band, dancing and sweating and feeling the music. This was the most energetic part of the whole night. They performed two new songs at the end of their set. For the final song, they got us to all sit down on the floor and on the tables and the edges. Everyone complied. We sat and we listened to a new, slower song. People were swaying as they sat, then the music sped up and became much louder, and everyone shot up and started dancing again. Whine Problem’s songs are often political in nature and are performed with great passion from every member.
Both nights were amazing to witness and be a part of, and I can’t wait for whatever comes next.
