Since when did the reflections of disco balls resemble bubbles?
Outside, it’s a not-so-bad -2ishC. My cousin and I are in the basement of the Drake Hotel sitting on a bench up against a wall. The stage is decorated like a fairy tale forest with animals all around: a few owls, a panda, and a squirrel. Against the rear curtain, a modest banner with “lenka” written in script. No capital on the “L”. It’s just about to hit 9PM and there’s wifi and so why not start the review while I’m still here, right?
The crowd’s buzzing. Talking about school. Talking about other things. People buying drinks. Everyone’s kinda chill. More so than the other shows I’ve attended. I wonder who else has played down here…
The opening act is tuning her guitar. She didn’t introduce herself yet, but instead started serenading with an old soul kind of voice. She introduces herself to us as Megan Hamilton. If you look at her, you wouldn’t think a voice like hers would come out. There’s a kind of honesty in her singing that I couldn’t tear my ears away from. She said she’s on facebook. I’d like to add her. She says she also has free postcards at the merch table. I’ll be sure to pick one up.
I think I’m gonna put the macbook away for now… Stay tuned for the Lenka write-up when I get back to my cousin’s place later tonight.
So in chimes the opening for “Trouble is A Friend” and in walks this cute, little, brunette Aussie with the voice that could melt your heart and a dress that could knock you out. Every note, a bit of her heart pours out. It’s like this for the entire show. Lenka stands about 5 feet even and though she’s a total shorty, she looks like she could take on the world with her robot pet.
Her robot pet is a little M-Audio Oxygen 8 25 Key MIDI Controller and she plays it like no one’s business. She’s put a few personal touches on it, most obvious is a strap so she can play it standing up. A ribbon hangs from the strap and a heart at the top of the control console. The crowd awwww’s when she pulls it out for the first time. She also plays the keyboard for a few songs, the one I can remember being “Anything I’m Not”.
There were moments during the show where I found myself closing my eyes, getting lost in the music, and expecting myself to wake up in a bus or subway with my headphones on since there was a surreal feeling about being down there with her and the hundred or so people.
Somewhere in between, she tells us that this Toronto show is the first that sold out. “I’ve really made it” she says in celebration. We cheer.
One track that I can’t help but make special note of is the live rendition of “Like A Song” which she sings completely a cappella with the eerie white noise of World War 2 radios. It’s quite haunting and almost scary. Of all the songs, this one brings out the most emotion.
Outside of playing all of the songs on her album and a b-side, she plays a Modest Mouse cover who’s name escapes me but I probably enjoyed her version more than the original. She, then, commemorates her first sold out show with encoring with the Disco Remix of “The Show” which I hope gets a studio recording. It’s pretty intense and quite enjoyable for the last song of the night.
I managed to snag a picture with her and asked for her to sign my ticket. She’s very friendly. She’s also quite hot in the picture. And as usual, when I’m in pictures with celebrities, I end up looking dumb. Oh well.
If I had to sum up the night, I’d have to say that the performance was better than the CD similarly to how Nicole Atkins live is better than her studio recordings.
You can find out more about her from her Official Site at Lenkamusic.com.
