A Funkaoshi Production

Tangiers @ Lee's Palace

   8 October 2005, lunch time

The Tangiers released their new CD The Family Myth last night. I’m listening to it now, and it is good. I met my friend Lisa at 10:00 infront of Lee’s Palace expecting a huge line. The Tangiers were featured on the cover of Now Magazine this week, which I expected would result in the show getting the sort of crowd it deserved. Of course, we get inside and it is pretty empty.

Lisa was cold and hungry, so after I finished my beer, we went to the Tim Horton’s next door for some hot chocolate. We watched an employee throw away all the bagels in the store because they weren’t supposed to sell them anymore. Lisa bought one of them.

Round two at Lee’s palace started at around eleven something. We arrived as the opening act was just getting started. Ben and Heather arrived shortly after. The first band up was the Diableros. Lisa and I both enjoyed their set. They reminded me a little bit of Suede. They played a short set that people weren’t really getting into. The crowd at Lee’s Palace was a little bit lame to say the least. Though, opening acts at Lee’s Palace always seem to have a hard time every time I’ve been there. The Diableros are probably worth checking out when they are doing their own gig.

The Tangiers were up next, playing a little bit after midnight. The place still hadn’t filled out as much as I had expected. Most of the crowd lined the back of the club, so the area right infront of the stage was pretty empty. This is where Lisa and I camped out. It filled up somewhat as the show progressed. To our left was a drunk crowd of older 20 somethings who I suspect were in some sort of band. To our right was a bunch of drunk ass kids. And infront of us was this pair of hipster chicks that seemed absolutely disgusted that people were dancing around them. I don’t understand why you would move all the way to the front of the club, and then stand perfectly rigid—but I digress.

The Tangiers were awesome. They played a wicked set, with lots of music from their new album, plus their prior two. They did some interesting versions of their older stuff—for example they did a very slow version of Ca-va Cool. They are a pretty high-energy band. They sound quite amazing live. The keyboard player was going mental—he did a stellar job. The whole band did. They are a solid act.

It was a fun night.

I snapped a few photographs as you can see. One of the drunk dudes next to me told me that taking the bands photo was the worse thing I could possibly do in the whole wide world. Lisa started discussing with him how it probably wasn’t a big deal. He was some sort of burlesque dancer—according to Lisa—who has had his pictures taken at shows and sold. I hope to God he wasn’t a dancer—him stripping was a scary though. Eventually, after a fairly involved conversation, he turns to Lisa and says, “How would you like it if I took photos of you and sold them?” That’s how we ended that conversation. (the Tangiers: if you ever end up here and are infact heart broken I took your photo, email me and let me know.)

Go see the Tangiers live. You would be a fool—a damn fool—not too.

Music | Life