clapping hands

I didn't bring my camera to the Opera House on saturday due to their famously oppressive search-and-destroy security protocol, but even without pictures I can safely express my enthuasiasm for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Their Toronto debut at the Horseshoe last year was notoriously flawed and out of tune, but things went much more smoothly this time, with a tight 90-minute set punctuated with a few new songs and ending with a very able cover of Neil Young's 'Helpless'. Singer Alec Ounsworth's vocals seemed spot-on, but a rotten vocal mix prevented any clarity and provided a rough distortion through the whole night that made his already slurred lines even less comprehensible. Totally unacceptable, though no real fault to the band. Openers The Brunettes faced similar issues, which would lead one to start point figures at the venue/PA if the same setup the previous week for Snow Patrol had not yielded totally normal results.

The guys in CYHSY are not fresh out of high school, or even college, and they provide a very even, yet louder shine on their live show. Favourites such as Upon this tidal wave of young blood come off more intense and involved the crowd, and really transcended the record. While the previous week's Snow Patrol show enjoyed perfect production values and an almost to-the-note similarity to the album, Clap Your Hands have already realized that taking things a little bit further is much more interesting, despite any tech snafus.