Yukon Blonde played to an energetic, appreciative hometown crowd as they performed the first show of a tour that will take them all the way to St. John’s, Newfoundland. They were joined by On An On as their opening act.
The trio On An On (which I initially heard as “On and On” when they introduced themselves — I can imagine how many times they’ve had to correct that one) is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has a familiar indie sound.
They suffered the familiar plight of a crowd disinterested in an opening band, but there also wasn’t that much to be interested in. Their strong baselines, rising crescendos, and many repeatedly shouted lines melded well with their interesting percussion and ghostly high-pitched tones. Despite that, they were a bit of a yawn. The lead singer had on the requisite hipster uniform of a plaid shirt and a toque, and they sounded like something that would fit right in on 102.7 The Peak. I became restless waiting for Yukon Blonde to appear.
Between acts, I met Yukon Blonde’s bassist’s cousin’s wife and her party of friends there to celebrate her birthday. There were a nice group, and I was glad to no longer be sitting alone waiting for the band to take the stage.
Right from their first song, one thing I noticed about Yukon Blonde was their clear vocals. One of the most frustrating things for me is being at a concert and not having a clue what the lyrics are. I didn’t have that problem, though — they opened with their hit “My Girl,” and the crowd began to sing along.
The long-haired lead singer, Jeff Innes, had nice raspy vocals, and the whole band was calm, cool, and collected, passing that ease onto us. He mentioned that he was feeling blessed, but searched for another word to describe it — he was told by a bandmate that “fucking stoked man” would do the trick.
They were clearly having fun on stage, and they had us join them, encouraging the crowd to sing along to the infectiously handclap-ready “Wind Blows.” The contemplative song is a departure from their current, full-bodied indie sound, and I enjoyed hearing that side of the band.
“Saturday Night,” their current single, was a hit with the crowd and showed how the band’s sound has evolved. If it were actually Saturday night, it would have added that extra level of perfection singing along to “Saturday night on the town / Open your arms to me / And let me dive in the waters around / Your eyes are an ocean.”
The band showed off a wide range of influences, including “Radio,” which sounds like a toned-down punk tune. “I Wanna Be your Man,” off their latest album, On Blonde, got everyone dancing, and “Stairway,” the biggest song off Tiger Talk, continued the momentum and even incited some crowd surfing.
A “one more song” chant brought the band back to the stage for an old gem that they said was the first song that CBC ever played of theirs. With their composed stage presence and ability to navigate among a variety of styles, Yukon Blonde provided an enjoyable concert experience. I’m sure they will return home with more fans from all parts of the country.
