The Dirty Projectors @ Opera House, Saturday 16th November

Last night I saw The Dirty Projectors at the Opera House on Queen Street East here in Toronto. First of all, I really like the Opera House as a venue, it has a good shape, a nice atmosphere, and, most importantly, the sound is usually decent. The band themselves were excellent, really tight, really together. They have this appealing geeky awkward streak to them, a nod to technical virtuosity not usually seen amongst indie bands (although, I have to add, common in metal), that last night manifested itself in a three or four song "acoustic" middle section, complete with double bass. There was no apparent reason for this but it made them all the more loveable. Most of the tracks were from "Bitte Orca", but quite a few were from the similarly excellent "Rise Above". The crowd were as hipsteriffic as one would except at a show like this but ultimately well behaved and appreciative. This is with the exclusion of the dudes who feel the need to yowl during quiet moments of songs - what's with this? Dudes, you almost ruined "Two Doves" for every one...