Canada's most under-rated band Dragonette took to the stage at Queen's Park as part of Toronto's Pride festivities, the first time ever the venue has hosted celebrations. As usual, the band delivered a solid performance, mixing material from their debut Galore and follow-up Fixin' To Thrill. The band performed unreleased tracks Our Summer of Sex and Get Your Titties Off My Things, showcasing their brazen wit. All eyes feasted on lead singer Martina Sorbara's quirky outfit - a white bodysuit, covered by a black mesh-cape and of course the Big Sunglasses she loves so much that she wrote a song about.
The crowd, many who were waiting for the evening's headliner Cyndi Lauper to follow, were enthusiastic about the set from the Trio (formerly a Quartet). And on the track Fire, Sorbara had forgotten some lyrics, mumbling along and giggling, then asking the crowd, "Is this thing even on?!?" before mumbling her way back into the song. Smooth. *wink* She also revealed that Dragonette will be releasing another disc soon, Our Summer Volcano (EP) and that the new tracks performed today will be featured on it. As their set approached a wrap, Lauper came over to enjoy the track with her Entourage. Sorbara mentioned what a wonderful honour it was to share the stage with the icon herself.
Flagging Dragonette co-founder Dan Kurtz (husband of Sorbara) down through the venue's fence as I entered the premises, he came over to chat with me for a few minutes about Touring and mentioned how much he loves touring the U.S., noting that is much more intense. In addition to playing a gig soon in Washington, DC, they will be heading out to Atlanta on a grueling commute to perform at our friend Arjan Writes' Superfraiche Pop Night on August 16, 2010. "I know it's tough, but I'll totally do it for Arjan" - Arjan, are you gushing yet? Always looking out for you guys, I handed over a few items for Dragonette to sign and each of them personalized some gorgeous 5x7 photos for you. Dan came back into the VIP Lounge and hand-delivered them to me and gave me a big hug, before I wished him a good show. I then waved over at Martina and blew her some kisses and she playfully waved back, blowing some more kisses my way. Aww.
I have two of these signed photos to give away and to qualify, please leave a comment with the name of your favourite Dragonette track and why you love it. You have until Saturday, July 17, 2010 midnight to enter, so hurry! Please ensure you leave some way for me to get back to you. Good luck!
Watch their performance of Get Your Titties Off My Things below (audio content owned by Universal Music Canada):
(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)
Love that man of hers (any excuse to quote Whitnet songs). Did they both do Grab A Hold, then?
ReplyDeleteLike the videos Will! Try using more of them in your future posts, if possible. They give a real atmosphere of what the event was like. Sets you out and apart from other entertainment online articles. I enjoyed watching them.
ReplyDeletePaul
My favourite Dragonette song would have to be "Pick Up the Phone." I love the catchiness of the tune, and the kind of wit in the lyrics.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the video, and the news about the upcoming disc!
Ah. I love Dragonette so much. I was only a few blocks away from the concert, but I was having a terrible day and there was just no way I was going to be able to go, so I had to miss it, but I am so excited to see them when they return Aug 10th at the Mod Club. I think I prefer to see them in a smaller venue anyway, cause I heard the concert was crazy.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, since Dale already said "Pick Up The Phone", I'm going to pick... the song "Take It Like a Man" as my favourite.
It was the first Dragonette track I ever heard, and not only do I love the original but I also love several of the mixes, including the Bimbo Jones. So maybe I'd say it's my favourite due to the sentimental value.
I can still remember the first Dragonette concert I went to back in Vancouver and how excited I was to see them perform live.
I have to say, it is hard to pick a favourite- I've loved a lot of what they've released lately, including "Pick Up The Phone", "Easy", "I Get Around", "True Believer", "Boys & Girls", "Fire In Your New Shoes", etc.
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