Elk and Young Rival at Yonge-Dundas Square

So, I was at Yonge-Dundas Square last night. This is a bit of an atypical venue - outdoors, obviously, but smaller than most outdoor venues. Louder, too, for being downtown amidst the bustle of Eaton Centre and the traffic of the surrounding area. Elk and Young Rival were brought to us as a part of a series called "Indie Fridays", presented by Virgin Mobile. I wish I was being compensated for saying that, but no, I just thought I'd mention it in case anyone was interested in seeing the rest of the series, as it's still on for the next two Fridays. It's free, which is nice.

Anyhow, Elk was up first. When I showed up, I was expecting to write a review about two "decent" bands, and Elk did not disappoint. By their first song, I had decided that they performed a brand of inoffensive garage rock with an indie twist - which may have been what made it inoffensive. Their first song was actually quite charming, almost calming, so they were off to a good start, although they picked up the pace very rapidly.
One problematic thing about Elk was that their stage presence was a bit weak. The rest of the band was placed either back or off to the side of the lead singer, and he didn't really have the charisma to make that work. The brightly-coloured flashing lights didn't help that at all; it was a bit mismatched for their very drum-driven brand of rock that I imagine coming out of a garage that's used for storage more often than it is for jamming. That's Virgin Mobile for you, though.
They were at their best when they were driven by drums with the powerful guitars and bass following, as the vocals were, I would say, the weakest part of the outfit. If asked, I wouldn't be able to pick a highlight out of their thirty minute set - most of their songs sounded quite similar. They were decent all the same, completely worth a listen or two, but they stuck to what they've found to work.
Their last song was good, though. It began almost violently, which was a bit of a pleasant change from the pure rock of the previous. They had become increasingly enthusiastic throughout the set, especially the very talented drummer. It would be interesting to see them indoors, where they would be able to actually get loud. I have a feeling that I would have come away with a much more favourable opinion if I'd really been able to rock out with like-minded people. Still, I left wanting to hear more, and the crowd cheered them quite enthusiastically.

After a relatively efficient changeover, we were treated to a performance by Young Rival. Drums to herald the beginning of their performance - their drummer was very good, also, although I would say that their sound is not driven by drums in quite the same way that Elk's is...which is strange, now that I think of it, given that Elk has two bass and a guitar and Young Rival just has one of each.
They seemed so, so comfortable on stage, and so excited to be there, from the very beginning. Aron D'Alesio thanked the crowd every three or four songs, and was just more charismatic overall. There was something about this band's presence - not sound - that reminded me of the Manic Street Preachers. That's a good thing, a great thing. They were just a tiny bit aggressive with the crowd, and they moved across the stage more, which just gave the impression that they were that much more into it.
Can't say no, really like to think so. This song was a delight, definitely. It was a bit more peaceful, maybe more 60's than some of their other tracks, but the drums were especially potent, and it was good. Aron sometimes took his guitar and played it high throughout the night, which was a nice bit of showmanship. He just owned the stage, they all did - John with his awkward moves around the stage and Noah with his intense percussion.  All were very strong musicians, but Aron was especially so on the guitar.
At one point, a helicopter flew overhead, and they dedicated the next track to it, which was kinda cute. Don't you love downtown?
You could definitely tell when they were playing a song off of their new album; the sound had matured. They still sounded like themselves, they'd just grown into it even more. It was a pleasure to see them advance like that. Work It was an intense bit of garage rock, definitely one of the most enjoyable bits of the show. It's such a relief to be able to pick out specific tracks that were even better rather than just having decency the whole way through.
They were the good kind of retro, without being assholes about it or taking it too far. They were a little bit punk, a little bit Beach Boys, a little bit Kinks. I was taken aback by how good they were, to be perfectly honest. They deserve every bit of praise they've posted on their website, and they've chosen the assessments that are spot-on. By the middle of their hour and twenty minutes long performance, the kids were dancing and the young adults were ironic-dancing. By the end of it, the tough old biker dude near me was feeling the music HARDCORE. God bless bands that can get the tough old biker dudes dancing.