On a day that only exists once every four years, identical twin sisters Tegan and Sara brought their songs for the first time to their Scottish stage. Hailing from the west of Canada, the west of Scotland proved to be very welcoming to them as proven by the fact that the show had been sold out months in advance, and for good reason. "Dark Come Soon" set the foundation for the concert, a song that is perhaps a call for support after the lies. Their latest single, and title track of their album, "The Con" was next and had the full house bouncing up and down like 900 Easter bunnies on a pogo sticks. It is definitely a key reason why the album has been nominated for Alternative Album of The Year at Canada's Music Awards, The Junos, coming up in April.
After only two songs I was already satisfied, but "Are You Ten Years Ago" added to my enjoyment. Here, the twins took turns at the microphone, and then intertwined each other's voices with the message still coming across loud and clear. Tegan took the reigns next, slowing it down with the acoustic "Soil Soil", a short and sweet track, but that's the way I like it!
The girls then cited their Scottish heritage, as many of us Canadians do, especially those from Calgary, Alberta. And if we weren't convinced, the pair put on a couple of see-you-jimmy hats just to prove it. On with the beats, which continued with "Where Does the Good Go", a song that Sara described in the chorus as "… a good melody, we're breaking up." The addition of the tambourine made the world of difference to the song. "Walking with a Ghost" had a tropical feel to it, but the lyrics were anything but sunshine and Hawaiian flowers. "Back in Your Head" - another single from The Con album - gets in your head, and will just not leave. Enticing piano playing and a chorus that confessed "… I'm not unfaithful, but I'll stray when I get a little scared." turned out to be a combination that had the entire audience joining in.
Wrapping up the set a little earlier then expected, Sara took suggestions for what they should play next from an audience that waited patiently like school children with their hands raised. "Living Room" and "Not Tonight" rounded out the evening. "Not Tonight" was apparently originally written about Sara's dislike of touring. The two have established themselves amongst the elite in the North American indie-rock scene. Another excellent performance tonight, however, was cut quite short. Not because it was warranted, but due to the QMU's live band curfew of 10pm. Only one hour of play time, and no encore for a sold out show? And for what you ask? Well they had to clear the place out for their "Cheesy Pop" club night. Never should the live music of two beautiful, silk voiced songstresses be replaced by such an atrocity. Big thumbs up to Sara and Tegan, shame on the QMU.