Two very contrasting concerts to continue December's music madness. First, another U Ottawa School of Music concert, 'Piano Duets and Duos' on 7th December. 17 performers under the direction of Frédéric Lacroix presented a variety of well-known and lesser known pieces arranged for four, six, eight and twelve hands on 1 or 2 pianos. Whilst Rheinberger's transcriptions of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations were the headline pieces, I preferred some of the other pieces, such as Rachmaninoff's Romance and the comedy of Lacroix's arrangement Für Malcolm in homage to Beethoven's Für Elise. A fun festive treat for the appreciative crowd in Tabaret Hall.
Having missed their last few shows (including the 360 show at the Elmdale that won Best Live Show 2011 in Ottawa Xpress), it was interesting to see The PepTides again and in a different venue. Whilst atmospheric, the stage area at Mercury Lounge seemed a bit cramped. In the support slot, the excellent Django Libre provided a warm, nearly-Friday-feeling wash of sound.
Sadly I can't seem to find names for the 5 instrumentalists; once again, their performances blew me away. The set was another 'For Those Who Hate...' based blast of satirical indie-pop-retro fun, with a hint of blues. Compared to my previous PepTides experience, it seemed that there were more 'first time' listeners in the audience, but they still seemed enjoy the show. This time, the film clips projected behind the band were easier to see - a good touch. I also enjoyed hearing new songs 'Live Love Get High' and 'Homme Love Whore'.
There are more shows coming up as well - all in the aid of funding new album Love Question Mark: this Saturday The PepTides join the lineup of Guerilla LIVE at the NAC's 4th stage, 8pm; 27th January at the Black Sheep In; and Irene's Pun, 18th February. As a preview, the Youtube channel is here. For more info on the new album's recording and to add your support, go to their rockethub site.
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