"I guess you all read on Twitter that I'm really sick".
Not the first thing you particularly wanna hear when a singer steps up to the mic, but that's how Bethany Cosentino said hello when her band, Best Coast, took to the stage at Lee's Palace in Toronto.
I was already in a shit mood by this point after watching London's Male Bonding blast through their set with a sound mix that sounded like dog shit. I hadn't heard much Male Bonding before, but considering the fuzzed out/fucked up nature of their sound I'm really surprised they're signed to the reinvented dream noise label Sub Pop.
Despite said technical difficulties, their high-energy performance was enough to scavenge some morsels of respect from the crowd and even had a few kids forking out at the merch table post gig.
A short interval later the girls (and boy) of everyone's favourite summer/Garfield-loving band took the stage and Bob Bruno strapped on a dirty cool Dan Electro baritone guitar, while Cosentino draped a mind-blowingly sexy sea foam green Fender Mustang around her neck.
And despite her early warning that the show might sound like crap, her beautiful voice reverberated through the room with same power and resonance as it does on the band's debut record album Crazy for You.
She powered through awesome tracks like The End, Boyfriend, Summer Mood and When I'm With You, at times appearing visibly ill, but maintaining her composure and delivering her vocals with amazing clarity.
In stark contrast to Male Bonding the mix for Best Coast was phenomenal, and the occasional additions of chorus and echo to Cosentino's mic added greatly to the performance.
One of the highlights of the gig was when Bob Bruno, known for being a bit of a mute, grabbed the mic briefly to thank the crowd for it's love and support, comparing Toronto only to the band's hometown of LA in their favourite places to play. Even Cosentino was shocked at his sudden outburst of gratitude, "What the fuck Bob?!"
By the end of the set, Bethany look exhausted but content, much like the rest of the crowd. If this is what Best Coast sound like when they're sick, I can't fuckin' wait to see what they sound like when their in a happy, healthy mood.
Photos by Rosie Ferguson.
Words by Rav
Originally published on Polaroids Of Androids
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