Last Monday night Regina sextet Rah Rah brought their unique brand of poetic rock (with just a hint alt country) to The Boat in Kensington Market. The audience was treated to some yet-titled works that fit the nautical theme of the venue as well as songs from “Going Steady,” Rah Rah’s 2008 album. More than just your typical rock outfit, the band includes a violinist, singers that can actually sing, and catchy yet artfully crafted songs.

As someone who loves going to shows despite my intense hatred of being jostled in the crush for a stage view, this show was like nothing I’d ever been to before. Outside of being in a restaurant designed to look like a boat (which was apparently jarring to a few people in the audience,) the crowd was small and fairly mellow with a few dancers but the band played their little, Prairie hearts out as if for a packed house of hundreds. If I’d closed my eyes and ignored the smell of fried food being delivered to the audience via confused waitress, I could imagine myself standing in an audience at one of the festivals across Canada that Rah Rah has been so warmly received at.

For the past few years the buzz around the band has been steadily growing and with good reason. Rah Rah’s unpretentious, spunky performance was refreshing and a perfect match for their music. For those not into “indie music,” check your preconceived notions at the door because Rah Rah is a band definitely worth watching… or listening to… or better yet a combination of both.

A little Rah Rah would make a great addition to any summer playlist whether you’re on the road, barbecuing it up at home or relaxing at the cottage; Rah Rah’s music seems to adapt to every mood. Take a listen at http://www.myspace.com/rahrahband

“Tentacles” helped me survive many sleepless nights of essay writing and “Duet for Emmylou and the Grievous Angel” has made me wistful for love in Regina, even though I’ve never been there and have no immediate plans to go.

Rah Rah will be returning to Toronto for North by Northeast (NXNE) on June 18. It’s the perfect opportunity to put that whole watching and listening combo into practice and see if you can resist romanticizing Saskatchewan after seeing them live.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 9:13 am and is filed under Entertainment, Events, Music, Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.