On Tuesday night, Hey Rosetta! played the first of two shows at Old Confidence Lodge in Riverport, Nova Scotia. Yes, the building is old and it doubles as a studio, performance space, kitchen, sleepover centre, bar, etc. Mixtape was on hand to take in the all-ages show. Instead of writing a boring old chunk of text, here is a list of 10 cool observations and facts about the show.
1. Long time no play
This was the first show in three months for the road warrior Newfoundland band. According to frontman Tim Baker, this is the longest stretch the band has gone without playing a show since they formed.
2. No sparkles
The show opened up with “Yer Spring” from Seeds. This is the first Hey Rosetta! show I’ve seen with no sparklers in the crowd during that song. I guess nobody wants to set an old building on fire. Sparklers in the crowd has been a live tradition for fans since the release of the sparkler filled video two years ago.
3. New songs
While a few new Hey Rosetta! songs have been played live here and there, and a few videos are on the internet (Gold Teeth, Reckoning), Tuesday night saw the band play four new songs still in their early stages. After a couple of songs, Baker said he was probably going to change some of the lyrics around.
4. Harriot
One of the new tracks, Harriot, is built around an old school organ sound and has lots of energy. This could turn into a crowd favourite. Check out a snippet on our Instagram page.
5. Adam Hogan has a mic
Guitarist Adam Hogan is usually pretty quiet, making funny guitar faces as he plays his instrument. He had a mic at the show, singing backing vocals on one of the new songs. However the highlight of the night for Adam was….
6. Hey Rosetta! covers You Can’t Hurry Love by the Supremes
Tim Baker pulled a bit of an audible, deciding the band should cover “You Can’t Hurry Love”. It sounds like something the band has fooled around with but hadn’t decided on playing live. The highlight of the cover was certainly the backing vocals by everybody including some high vocals from Adam, leaving smiles on the crowd and the band.
7. New arrangements for old songs
“I’ve Been Asleep For A Long Long Time” has been a staple of the band’s live show. The building guitars, the passionate vocal delivery. A full out rocker. At the show Tuesday, Tim Baker played the song slower than usual on an acoustic guitar. It took on a sombre and beautiful sound as the string section swirled around the heartfelt lyrics. Check out a snippet on our Instagram feed.
8. Weeknight all-ages shows are fun
The crowd was quiet and respectful, giving the show a different feel than the usual energetic Friday night “It’s the weekend!” feel most of their shows have. At one point Baker said “I love the hush of the weeknight all-ages show” with a big smile on his face.
9. More guitars
One of the new songs featured Baker, Hogan and celloist/guitarist Romesh Thavanathan all playing guitars, giving it a bigger almost Radiohead-esque circa OK Computer feel.
10. Having fun
It looked like the band was having fun. A few times, Tim Baker slipped up, forgetting lyrics. Instead of growing frustrated, he laughed it off and hit the side of his head until the words came back. There were lots of smiles from all members of the band as they got back into the routine of playing live shows.