Who knew that Elder had a posse? Their first Toronto appearance pretty much packed the Velvet Underground for a late-night gig on Saturday. Although the doors didn’t open till 11, the show ran pretty much on time–even with two opening bands, we were outta there by 2 am. And hey, after playing nothing but reggae between bands at the Weedeater gig back in June, I’m pleased to report that the venue played nothing but Weedeater between bands this evening. I guess they musta bummed a CD offa Dixie Dave or something.
Of course, the late start meant super-short sets for the opening acts. Local riff peddlers Ol’ Time Moonshine took the stage before most people in line even made it into the venue, and played a brisk 20-minute set. Even without their regular drummer, the band sounded pretty tight.
King Buffalo seemed much more at home here than they did at the Weedeater gig. The youngsters from Rochester play a mellower brand of heavy psych more akin to Dead Meadow, setting the table for Elder quite nicely with a solid half-hour set.
I had the good fortune of seeing Elder slay at Psycho Las Vegas last year, so I knew we were in for a good one. These guys really kick out the jams, man! Normally a trio, they’ve enlisted a guest guitarist on their latest album, and thus performed this evening as a four-piece. The additional axeslinger really gives these songs a big boost!
