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History

1663 Queen St. E., M4L 1G5, Toronto, ON, Canada

www.historytoronto.com/

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Doors open: 19:00

Concert in your area for Indie & Alt, Rock, Hip-Hop, Folk & Blues, Electronic, and Pop.

Find out more about Rock, Hip-Hop, Electronic, and Pop.

Destroyer biography

Destroyer is the poetic Canadian indie-rock vehicle of Dan Bejer, whose discerning lyrics and eclectic influences have continued to impress audiences since its formation in 1996, hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Destroyer’s Dan Bejer made his mark upon Vancouver’s music scene in 1996 with Destroyers’ debut album “We’ll Build Them a Golden Bridge”. Comprised of 16 lo-fi recorded songs featuring un-tuned guitars, seductive melodies and handfuls of static, the folk record set the scene for future Destroyer releases and drew vocal comparisons with David Bowie. Having been requested to contribute a song to a local cassette compilation, Bejer produced a possible 20 tracks, 16 of which made it on to the cassette “Ideas for Songs” in 1997.

By this point the singer and musician’s appeal was going from strength to strength and he subsequently headed to the studio for his next release, the minimalist “City of Daughters”. Released in 1998, the record highlights Bejer’s precocious lyrics and pop melodies, and features a rhythm section for the first time. The full-length “Thief” followed in 2000 marking the band’s expansion into a quartet, and first attempt at the climatic and grandiose sound witnessed on later releases. Conceivably the last in the series preceded by “City of Daughters” and “Thief”, Destoyer’s third full-length “Streethawk: A Seduction” arrived in 2001 earning widespread critical acclaim upon release. With dense, largely indecipherable lyrics the album revels in the unknown and paved the way for the 2002 rock album “This Night”.

His most experimental to date, 2004’s “Your Blues” used MIDI instrumentation for almost the entire album, in a sound described as “European Blues”. In January 2005 the group collaborated with touring partners Frog Eyes to release the six-track EP “Notorious Lightning & Other Works”, featuring new and existing songs. A year later the guitar made a prominent return on the 2006 album “Destroyer’s Bubies”, which echoes the climatic nature of the “Streethawk” LP. The full-length “Trouble in Dreams” arrived in March 2008, followed by the EP “Bay of Pigs” in 2009, the LP “Together” in 2010, and “Kaputt” in 2011.

Live reviews

A Wolf Parade concert is packed with as much charisma and energy as a pack of wolves. The dynamic between main songwriters Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner make it interesting to observe the differences in their styles of songwriting. Krug’s songwriting is more experimental and abstract, while Boeckner’s songwriting is more direct by incorporating immediate hooks that make for catchy songs, however both are phenomenal at their craft. Wolf Parade plays with lots of energy when they perform live with Krug hovering over his synthesizers like he was a spider playing with eight arms. Boeckner can be seen rocking away on his guitar, Arlen Thompson pounds away on his drums, Dante DeCaro holds down the foundation with his bass, and Krug’s synthesizers create an atmospheric sound that gives Wolf Parade its unique touch.
The band has developed a cult following and its members are well respected for their works in other bands such as Moonface, Swan Lake, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits, and Hot Hot Heat. Not only does Wolf Parade give a charismatic performance of their music live, but they are also very funny with Krug and Boeckner bantering jokes back and forth between songs. Wolf Parade’s style of music garners some comparison to Modest Mouse, which shouldn’t be surprising as Modest Mouse’s frontman, Isaac Brock, signed the band to subpop and produced their first album.
Wolf Parade’s blend of garage rock combined with the mystical soundscape of synth driven post-punk revival makes Wolf Parade one of the most interesting bands in the indie rock scene to see live.

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The beauty in Destroyer’s music translates over perfectly in a live setting. Front man Dan Bejar’s glazed over vocals give a serene sound to the performance that sucks the audience right into the show. Dan Bejar is a talented and busy musician having worked in such bands as The New Pornographers and Swan Lake, but perhaps some of his most catchy and bold writing has come from his work with Destroyer. The band’s work has encompassed various styles of music that sound like anything from glam rock to easy listening music. Dan often has a gentle touch to his live performances singing on stage like a crooner soothing the souls of the audience. The band Dan tours with is usually quite large performing on instruments you would expect a rock band to be playing, but the band also uses such instruments as trumpet, saxophone, flute, and piano to create a more orchestrated and lively sound. The saxophone incorporated into the music conveys a sound you might expect from a hit single in the 80’s or a Steely Dan album.
Although the band often plays in a soft, relaxing manner, they are also known to crank up the volume and incorporate some heavy rock and roll guitar soling. They often include vocal harmonies into their music and have the tendency to gradually build their music up with layers of unique instrumentation. Their setlist usually include songs ranging from all the band’s albums, which is sure to please both new and old fans alike.

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