Secret Chiefs 3 were in Toronto recently to disseminate their brand of auditory mayhem and uncategorizable malarkey. This was the first show of a two show tour and Tuco hustled down to the Drake Underground to soak in the vibe.
This is one of a number of side projects of Trey Spruance which he uses to channel his musical interests. Spruance and SC3 have also been associated with 90s bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle - for any Mike Patton fans out there.
The Drake Underground is a smallish venue infested with hipsters and serving Creemore on tap. Tuco got there with time to spare and found a spot next to the soundboard.
The show started promptly with five hooded figures taking the stage and the hum of the amps permeating the space. The stage had enough room for the band but no more. The venue was close to capacity with about a 3:1 male/female split.
First song got some love from the crowd, and the advantages of this smallish space become apparent; Great Clear Sound. It took a few tracks from my ears to get used to the clarity. By the third song, the drummer had inadvertently "broke character" by shedding his hood but got it back on for the next song.
The SC3 sound is difficult to describe - sometimes, there is a bit of a surf-rock feel at times, sometimes it sounds like a soundtrack for some epic film. Amongst the five guys, about eight or nine instruments were used. Oh yeah - and no vocals. That's key.
The guy that stood out in this first 45 minute set was the drummer. Great hits, timing, etc...
I asked the guy behind the sound table if he had a setlist and he responded in the negative. It was also a good indicator of how involved the "engineer" was in the process. Any switches, etc. were being flipped either just off stage or by the musicians on-stage themselves.
After a 45 minutes, there was 20 minute intermission. The Drake has two neon signs on opposite ends of the floor: "Bang Bang" and "Kiss Kiss". It took me a while to figure out the James Bond connection. Under the "Kiss Kiss" sign was some SC3 merch: T-shirts, CDs and vinyl. The hipsters went straight for the vinyl. I picked up a T-shirt.
Second set, SC3 came out with a change of hoodie and a different theme emerged to the evening. The second set was dominated by more melodic tracks - handled ably by the addition of a violin - compared to the rather percussive first set.
Three women got their "dance on" near the centre of the hipster crowd; a mild fail. There were at least three tracks during the evening based on classical songs (e.g. Dance Macabre) which were well-received. The audience knowledge of the SC3 material seemed pretty high (Tuco bringing down the average :( ). This second act ended after about 45 minutes with no encore and Spruance signing a "Thank You" to the assembled patrons.
In short, great choice of venue suiting the musicianship of SC3. Surprisingly interesting song-writing with a nice sense of melody and great balance within the group. For $20 easily the best value possibly ever. Seriously, there's something about instrumental music in general, and the SC3 treatment in particular, that is unique, different, reinvigorating and fun.
Twitterer @doppelmock pointed out that SC3 may soon be releasing a long-awaited studio album (possibly) titled "Book of Souls". Although I didn't see any promotional materials (i.e. screaming posters or artwork), it would justify the touring. There's no such thing as free shrimp. High recommend from Tuco if this happens.
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