I arrived at Bigwood 9, Aug. 27 just in time for to listen to Jon Vornbrock and Tony the kid to try their hands at rapping while the out of town guests Fancy Diamonds set up.
Fancy Diamonds, a somewhat supergroup of Saskatoon based musicians including members of Pandacorn, the Faps, Friends of Foes and Pirate Fridays, played an excellent eclectic set embracing ’80s synth pop and new wave, indie rock and assorted ’90s era weirdness.
The band, dressed in natty, luminescent ’70s style suits, combined plenty of groovy bass, pop fuelled synth hooks, a toe tapping beat and assorted saxophone solos from Pandacorn‘s Brodie Mohninger, bouncing around the stage in between pounding at his keyboards.
They had quirky lyrics and a lot of good vibes and good humour.
Royal Tusk were up next and immediately showed why modern Top 40 rock radio are starting to pay attention to them.
They began with a couple of their big hits “Fever” and “Curse the Weather.” Their vocal harmonies soared through the crisp night air as Whoop Up Days fireworks flashed through the sky in the background.
They had a lot of catchy guitar hooks and hummable vocal melodies. and even a few triple guitar harmonies.
I unfortunately missed Sparkle Blood, the Silkstones, the Atomicos, Supervoid and Dirti Speshuls.
