I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

The Polaris Music Prize wrapped up its fourth year of doshing out cash to one lucky recipient last week. This prize awards the winner not only $20,000 in cash, but also gives them bragging rights for producing the best album of the year (according to Canadian music “experts”). This year’s award gala was held at the legendary Concert Hall at The Masonic Temple. Media, celebrities and fans were all in attendance to check out both the night’s unexpected (Patrick Watson) and expected (Fucked Up) performances and also to see who would be crowned with the big cheque. Here are some shots from the night:

Elliott Brood Mountain Meadows

Fucked Up The Chemistry of Common Life

Great Lake Swimmers Lost Channels

Hey Rosetta! Into Your Lungs (And Around In Your Heart and On Through Your Blood)

K’NAAN Troubadour

Malajube Labyrinthes

Metric Fantasies

Joel Plaskett Three

Chad VanGaalen Soft Airplane

Patrick Watson Wooden Arms

As you are all aware by now the Polaris Music Prize was awarded to Fucked Up. This was a surprise to everyone in attendance that evening- but very well deserved! Stay tuned for our interviews with a few of the nominees!

photography provided by Sara Collaton

Saturday was one of those nights you wished you could be in multiple places at once. This iheartthemusic team was particularly torn between The Horseshoe and Lee’s Palace. After agonizing for a wee bit we settled on the ‘Shoe (therefore missing Elliott Brood and Cuff the Duke at Lee’s, but we heard they were both awesome!). Instead, we caught Young Galaxy, Two Hours Traffic and The Golden Dogs.

We arrived in time to see all of Young Galaxy’s set. They sounded New Wave-y and new age-y. It took us a while to get into it, but enjoyed them once we once did. The catapult of getting into the groove was a slower number sung by Catherine McCandless. There was something haunting about her voice that was vaguely reminiscent of Sinead O’Connor. We saw her after the set hobbling around on crutches (apparently a war wound from jumping off the stage at another show), but she hid the injury well while playing, not giving any hint to being hurt.

Next up was Two Hour Traffic. For the first time, hearing “Two Hours Traffic” will fill you with excitement and eager anticipation, rather than road rage and dread. This pop rocky band from PEI lived up to all the positive chatter that preceded their performance. They played clean, tight and with a sense of fun. Mostly nice light rock with poppy elements, there were parts that sounded slightly ’50s/’60s rock ‘n’ roll. Put it this way, their sound would not be out of place on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Last, but by no means least, were The Golden Dogs [ed note: there were other performances after The Golden Dogs, we were just too tired to stick around and see them]. This band could also be classified as pop rock, but in a very different way than Two Hours Traffic. They were uber energetic, played fun feel good tunes and the lead singer sorta reminded me of Rhys Ifans.

Overall a good night seeing three bands we hope to hear more from in the future!

Photography by Kristin McCormack