Kevin Drew @ The Arches
Staves off soppiness with voluptuous guitars and the catchiest hooks never to make it to radio.
| 07 Nov 2007
If Kevin Drew hopes his name being prominent on the new Broken Social Scene album will shoot him to stardom, it hasn't happened yet. Before tonight's gig a girl approaches him beside the merchandise stall and, completely unaware, asks where she can purchase the support band's album. On stage, he's not worried: Drew, band-mate Brendan Canning and a handful of the other Scenesters provide a raucous show, packed with BSS favourites and the best of Drew's new Spirit If...to an energised (and trendy-as-fuck) Monday night crowd. They meld gentle romantic charm with anthemic bluster, staving off soppiness with voluptuous guitars and the catchiest hooks never to make it to radio. Old favourites Cause=Time and Lovers Spit are given thunderous renditions, but nothing surpasses Drew's own Farewell To The Pressure Kids, a cacophonous, echo-heavy jam that's astonishing in size. By rights, Kevin Drew will never go unrecognised in these parts again. (Ally Brown)