Plants and Animals @ Théâtre Corona

No gimmicks were necessary for Montreal indie-rock band Plants and Animals, who wooed their sold out hometown crowd at Corona Theatre on November 16th. Standing in the top corner balcony, the show opened with the spotlight on Nicolas Basque, guitar and bassist of the band, cheekily strumming along some melodic tune. He soon joined the band on the main stage and they kicked off the show. 

The band performed with seamless song transitions, keeping it interesting alternating between upbeat songs, slow songs, new, and old songs. Guitarists Nick Basque and Warren Spicer played off each other and even dueled at times in true rock fashion. There weren't many stage gimmicks beyond this, nor was there a need for it to entice the crowd. The band had obvious stage chemistry that translated into a highly charismatic performance without the need for gaudy decorations or further theatrics.

"Happy Birthday Woody!" (directed to the drummer Matthew Woodley) and "Love you Nick" (to the guitarist) were exclaimed over the buzz of crowd whose enthusiasm only a truly local crowd could bring. And that was probably what was most refreshing about this show—it brought a positive vibe, which I can only suspect was attributed to such a friendly and local crowd. I have not seen that much relentless and unprovoked fist pumping and head bobbing in some time. As I walked through the crowd to get a better view, my ears were bombarded with the mutterings of people talking to their friends on how much they were enjoying the show.  

Of course it wasn't entirely flawless. There were some obvious technical difficulties with the guitars at times, and the light show could have been more subdued for those who may not be entirely fond of flashing strobe lights directed right at your eyes. These glitches were far from distracting in light of the solid performance. 

Overall, Plants and Animals offered a highly feel-good show, easily palatable for fans and concertgoers alike.  And though I've only been a casual listener of their music so far, after this show I am confident to say I am certainly looking forward to their next one in Montreal.