ChartAttack review
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LIVE: The Kings Of
Convenience Throw A Pity-Party Lee’s Palace Norwegian indie-folk duo The Kings Of Convenience took the stage in Toronto for a technically beautiful, but rather uninspired set this past Thursday. This can mainly be blamed on the fact that co-singer/guitarist Erlend Oye had a cold and the band came very close to canceling the show altogether. Fellow King Eirik Glambek Boe explained the situation, warning, "Things are a little slow tonight." Oye rallied at first, claiming that "a show gives your body credit that you have to pay back later," as they opened the set with "Until You Understand," an obscure track off their 2000 debut EP. Despite illness, Oye and Boe’s fragile harmonies were spot-on, as was their meticulous guitar-work. The audience was respectfully quiet, but the noise of the cash register quickly became a thorn in the King’s side. Oye and Boe have a very dry, understated sense of humour, with Boe quietly speaking during breaks between songs from The Kings’ two albums, including "Love Is No Big Truth," "Winning The Battle, Losing The War" and "Cayman Islands." However, things took a decidedly less funny turn when a visibly agitated and increasingly miserable Oye ranted about the cash register disturbance and left the stage. Boe forged onward, tackling "Live Long" solo. Oye finally returned and plunked unenthusiastically down at the piano to launch into the next song, but a deflated Boe became lost in thought and missed his cue. Though the songs were beautifully and precisely executed, the flagging duo was on the verge of falling apart and the perplexed audience tried to bolster them up with encouraging cheers. Unfortunately, nothing worked as Oye walked off again, leaving Boe completely at a loss. A playful request from an audience member for the Beatles’ "Norwegian Wood" turned into an impromptu filler song as Boe quickly figured out the chords, announcing that this would be the only time in his career that he would play from the Beatles catalogue. Again Oye returned, apparently determined to make it through the rest of the show. They often asked the audience to whistle or sing along in certain parts to fill in gaps left by the lack of additional instrumentation found on the records. This led to a nice, albeit off-key moment as the females in the crowd attempted to fill in for Leslie Feist’s part in "Know-How." They concluded with fan favorite, "Toxic Girl" and even returned for an encore of "I’d Rather Dance With You," where Oye tried to make up for his lack of enthusiasm by performing an amusing mock seductive dance. If you’re going to play through the pain, rock on, but don’t make the audience feel guilty for dragging you out of bed. |