Written by: Mark Abell

Of the 17 bands that played three different stages of Toronto’s Urban Roots Festival, I chose to focus on the Omaha, NE-based Desparecidos, Victoria, BC’s Northcote, who began the festivities and the Kevlavik, Iceland outfit Of Monsters & Men who headlined Day One of the festival.

Here’s the breakdown:

Desparecidos: I appreciated how fiercely Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes howled into the mic, showcasing a different and more raw side of his persona. Also, I was amused by samples included as introductions  for some of the songs  reminiscent of the McCarthy era about red-baiting.

Northcote: The take-away from this performance is that they’re multifaceted in their abilities. With “A 1000 nights (A Cathedral Of Junk)” they demonstrated the ability to sing sweetly and hit the upper register but singer Matt Goud also can belt out gruff and throaty vocals.

Of Monsters and Men: After a foolish and breezy overcast day, which was around 73 degrees, a sticky summer night surfaced. And as it did, I realized just how prominently drums figure into this band’s sound. While it may be a product of the amplification, the drums appeared explosive, more so than the punk-y Desparecidos and Northcote earlier this afternoon. In addition, their live vocals closely resemble the recordings I’ve heard of them. Not only was their sound Nordic clean but also the overall vibe of the audience was decidedly joyous, albeit reserved, insofar as that juxtaposition is possible. The crowd collaborated with gratuitous handclapping on “King and Lionheart,” a track from My Head Is An Animal (2012). I was transfixed and swaying to “Backyard,” a bonus track from their new album, Beneath The Skin for which the backbeat sounds like a faucet dripping water heavy droplets which coalesce into broken fragments at the bottom of a basin. Then they picked up the tempo with “Crystals” and “Mountain Sound” which really got the crowd moving. Also memorable was a trumpet solo for “Little Talks.”

In short, OM&M made the two and a half hour schlep from Buffalo worthwhile and led to some pleasant conversations with “new friends” who added me on various social media platforms.