Toronto Music Scene

By: TJ Liebgott
September 12, 2008

Virgin Fest celebrated its third year in Toronto as the "go to" festival of the summer.  Featuring 20 bands playing 3 stages, V-Fest had a wide variety of local and international talent spread across two days.  While its impossible to have seen all of the bands, here are some that stood out to TMS on Saturday.

 

We Are The Take
As soon as we got off the ferry we were welcomed by Toronto band We Are The Take.  Playing to one of the larger crowds at The Oh Henry stage, WATT played a short energetic set with standout songs like “It's Over” and the eerily somber “Montreal Love Song.”  They seemed to really impress the crowd, since they were mobbed by autograph hounds as soon as they left the stage.

Saint Alvia
After Saint Alvia played Warped Tour, I had to see them again.  If anything, their performance at V-Fest was 10 fold better.  This 6 piece is full of charisma, energy and intensity.  With every song they switch up styles as well as singers, yet each song still manages to have that Saint Alvia sound.  These guys are definitely chameleons within their genre.

Lights
It seems like Lights can't catch a break.  Even though her band has been featured on a series of Old Navy ads, an episode of The Hills and have played Wakestock twice in the last 2 years, she just can't seem to get an invite to play the Virgin Festival main stage.  Regardless of the stage, Lights made the most of things and sent the side stage into a dancing frenzy with tracks like “The Last Thing On Your Mind,” “White” and “February Air.”

Bad Flirt
Bad Flirt could be from nowhere else but Montreal.  There set was slightly weird considering bass player Nick played off stage, but they still rocked out with great songs like “Hiroshima Mon Frere.”  With their shoe gazer rock meets catchy dance hooks, be sure to catch Bad Flirt when they return to Toronto October 9th at Rancho Relaxo. 

 

The Kooks
I feel a lot of people missed out on UK imports The Kooks.  Most likely they were trying to secure good seats for The Foo Fighters.  Its unfortunate that music fans missed a great band currently in their prime for a band that was in their prime back when Y2K was a hot topic.  Either way, The Kooks put on an amazing show.  Even after a full day of drinking Mojitos, songs like “Always Where I Need To Be” and “Naïve” still stand out in my head.

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