Clothes Make The Man Releases Their Control EP at The Horseshoe

Date of show: November 11, 2010
Shot of choice: jager (3/4), Jack Daniels (1/4)

Clothes Make The Man kicked off their set with “Crusin’,” one of the songs on their Control EP. They powered through a fairly quick set full of energetic rock. Ryan McLennan (vocals, guitar) sounded great, passionate and full of a natural ability to command the stage. Watching these guys, it is clear that these guys have a lot of fun playing together. McLennan and Scott Henry (guitar, vocals) are constantly smiling at each other, while Henry always makes sure to give some attention to Phil Wilson (drums) in the back. Henry even crossed the stage to play head to head with Ross Machon (bass), dubbed as “moose fucking.” Their camaraderie on stage is really quite infectious, as it’s hard not to appreciate the fun they have up on stage.

As it was a celebration, the guys all took turns releasing some confetti with likely the saddest confetti poppers ever, although it was rather amusing and the guys seemed to have a lot of fun with them. Some friends brought them shots to have up on stage and McLennan jokingly said, “Now we’re gonna mess up.” Highlights of the set include the baby doll (naked, by the way) they brought up on stage used almost as a mascot, as well as “Dreamless Nights,” their song that was featured on Degrassi, which had much of the crowd singing along. The downside of their set was their late set time, which led to a much more dispersed crowd. It’s a shame more people we not there for the party because those who were there certainly walked away impressed.

I had the privilege of chatting with Clothes Make The Man for a little bit before their set. Check out that interview to get to know the band a little bit more. For more on their Control EP, read up on out some thoughts here.

By Divine Right

I won’t comment much on By Divine Right’s set, not necessarily because it was bad but because right at the outset José Miguel Contreras (vocals, guitar) indicated they were taking a relaxed approach to their set. Contreras (vocals, guitar) even said, “I really appreciate everyone’s relaxed vibe. I just wanted to take it easy tonight.” So, given that we were forewarned it was not going to be a usual By Divine Right set (they even only had one setlist and Contreras had to confirm the song every time), it wouldn’t be fair to comment much. However, for those fans that were looking forward to a real set, I do feel bad. Still, By Divine Right had plenty of enthusiastic fans and friends right up front. It may have not been the most energetic set but it was certainly not lacklustre; relaxed or not, Contreras still plays with an appreciation of the audience.

Teenage Kicks

Teenage Kicks likely drew the largest crowd. With only their Shook Our Bones 7” floating around, it doesn’t surprise me that they would have such a good draw. After all, the only way to hear more of their tunes is to see them live. Peter van Helvoort (vocals, guitar) has a voice to reckon with, yet he has the most unassuming stage presence. It is hard not to be blown away by that raw, classic rock voice that honestly just takes over the stage. Joining him is his brother Jeff van Helvoort (bass) on backup vocals, with Patrick Marchant on guitar and Cameron Brunt on drums.

Their classic rock sound is full of impressive arena-sized riffs and pop sensibilities that lend well to getting the crowd involved. For their tunes off their 7”, “Shook Our Bones” and “I Get What You Give,” they had many members of the crowd singing along. They lived up to my thoughts of their 7” and likely exceeded them. I’m looking forward to seeing Teenage Kicks again, but I’m especially looking forward to when the guys lay down those tracks so I can listen to them all the time. (P.S. Download their 7″ here for free.)

Colin Moore

Colin Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica) started off the night with his heartfelt folk. Despite opening up to a rather small crowd, Moore and his bandmates still played an energetic set. They interacted with the crowd often, even asking about the Toronto Maple Leafs (I shook my head as an answer). Moore’s country-tinged folk music was very different from the rest of the night, but his solid set was a great way to kick off the night.