By Cal MacLean

Last night at the Opera House, local concert goers met their match. Toronto audiences are (in)famous for their subdued responses at live shows, which is usually expressed through a steady nodding of the head. Scottish indie group Camera Obscura provided an equally stoic performance, with singer Tracyanne Campbell delivering each song note-perfect yet devoid of any physical expression beyond the strumming of her guitar. Even the infectious single “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” managed to spur some borderline dancing within the crowd, but the band remained workman-like in their performance. However, if you’re one of the people who argue that concerts are ultimately about music, regardless of whatever’s happening on stage, then you might not have been disappointed. The band’s sampling of their recent LP Let’s Get Out Of This Country and its predecessor Underachievers Please Try Harder were at least faithful to the recordings. But in that regard, seeing Campbell throw a few lines from Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” onto the end of one song — ostensibly to create a rare moment of spontaneity — while still not breaking from her deer-in-headlights gaze over the audience made listening to their records seem like the better way to experience the band.
Photo from Chromewaves.