Spencer Krug performs an intimate show at the Broom Factory

With his band Wolf Parade’s song, “I’ll Believe In Anything,” Spencer Krug brought the heat to Kingston.

On Sept. 23, The Broom Factory transformed from a lively, danceable venue into an intimate, quiet setting for Krug and his openers, Elbow Kiss and Ellms (Elliot Sinclair). Currently touring the East Coast of Canada, Krug stopped by Kingston while promoting the release of his latest album, Same Fangs.

The venue was set up in a way that emphasized concentrated engagement, as chairs were set up in the normal dance pit, filled with an older Kingston crowd. The air was palpable with excitement, and whether it was the openers or Krug himself on the stage, the crowd was lively, reveling in their sound.

The acoustic nature of each artist meant that the show was very stripped down, with each artist relying solely on either guitar or keys.

The acts began around 7:30 p.m. with Kingston-based singer-songwriter Elliot Sinclair, whose stage name is The Ellms, taking the stage. Sinclair performed a number of originals to start the night and truly made the most of his thirty-minute set. The song “Olympus Mons” especially highlighted his strong lyricism and stage presence.

A veteran of the scene, Sinclair has been active in the music scene for over ten years, performing in both Kingston and Montreal. While he has no music officially released on streaming, he has a SoundCloud page with tracks and is currently working on an album.

Taking the stage around 8:00 p.m., the solo act Elbow Kiss began their set. On Elbow Kiss’ website, their music is described as “Plucking guitar, harp, and heart strings. Softly dredging up deep seeds of yearning, nostalgia, heartbreak. Love songs to ghosts,” which feels like an apt description.

While Krug was unmistakably the headliner for this show, Elbow Kiss performed with such raw emotion and haunting vocal work that they immediately took the breath out of the audience. Accompanying Krug for the remainder of his tour, Elbow Kiss is sure to make an impression on any audience they come across, and with material already out on streaming, their future seems very promising.

Finally, at 9:00 p.m., Krug took the stage. Though quiet in demeanor, Krug worked the crowd brilliantly with his charisma and joking attitude the entire time.

Beginning his set on the piano, Krug silenced the crowd’s cheers with “The Fog,” a song from his old band, Moonface, putting his talent on full display with his booming voice.

Initially, the acoustic piano set seemed like it would be lacking in some senses, but for Krug’s extended version of his song “Barbarian,” it fit perfectly. It was truly impressive to see what he was capable of with so little equipment.

Krug then performed an acoustic version of the song “I’ll Believe In Anything,” by his old band Wolf Parade, and featured in the hit show Heated Rivalry. While the original has a full accompanying band, Krug’s solo performance relied on a raw vocal performance and heavy keys.

The song’s featuring in the popular show led to Krug’s work being introduced and reintroduced to many people on social media. In an interview with The Georgia Straight, Krug reflected on how the show has affected his career.

“It’s cool — the record and the song are 20 years old […] I’m not terribly online, but I know the song is getting used in thousands of TikTok videos, and there are a lot of comments on Instagram.”

With the weight of the song in popular culture at the moment, his live performance offered a different and exclusive alternative.

Ending with a few songs off his new album, “Timebomb” captivated the audience with its heavy piano part and harmonies with Elbow Kiss.

Krug’s decision to begin his set with his old band songs and end the night off with his most recent solo album, along with the song that flung him back on the charts, gave his fans a sense of continuity.

While his lyricism can be overly theatrical and sometimes unnecessarily introspective, his captivatingly raw musical ability is undeniable.

Krug brought out a collection of fans that often go unseen in the Kingston music scene, highlighting just how diverse this city’s musical taste can be at times.

Tags

Concert, Heated Rivalry

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to eic@queensjournal.ca.

• Previous
• Next