Dear Rouge At HMV

Everything about the band reminded me of my favorite Canadian band Metric. The music is melodic, addicting and the lead singer Danielle McTaggart is a perfect recipe of synth perfection. This is a compliment considering that my best friend Peter and I are obsessed with Metric. This maybe our new Metric in the making (spotted some Metric obsessors in the audience… aside from Peter and I).
I am very picky about my synth pop in general and when I first heard the song I Heard I Had circulated on various friend’s Facebook pages (feeds), I was instantly hooked. The songs still remained imprinted in my memory long after the set was done. The choruses are catchy instant live show success staples. Their latest single Black & Gold has been getting a lot of traction on Much Music and Virgin Radio (once an hour play).
Danielle is very addicting to watch. She was clearly in her own world while still remaining aware of her present audience. The chemistry between band members was also part of the performance addiction. I see a band that is actually going to go places. She is very comfortable as a front women.
Even though the show semi light on attendance, she was having a really good time on stage. This will more likely be the one of the last few times that I will be able to see the band that close before they hit it big.
They brought all their gear which surprisingly was compact and even brought in some of their own stage lighting. The venue for the show was a bit weird and cramped. It felt like a studio set on Much Music. When they performed their big single Black & Gold most of Robson street, having recognized the song from the radio, made a large crowd outside the store window. I totally felt as though I was attending a Much Music I&I like back in the 90’s.
I couldn’t tell If there was a backing track used or not, however, there were moments in which Danielle just went flawlessly for some notes.
Dear Rouge did a meet and great after their set and signed their CD which came out a day early (this was their CD release party). There is a video circulating on Youtube of Danielle that is very hard to find that not even her husband (who is in the band) knew about. Peter mentioned the video which surprised her considering it is nearly impossible to find.
The sound was decent for an in store, however, for the first few tracks the vocals were a bit under mixed but resolved sooner rather than later.
My only regret was that I forgot to bring their first EP that was printed in limited numbers to get signed. It was sitting right on my desk before I left the house.
This makes up for the show I missed last month when they opened for the Arkels.