Foreign Air Brings Fun And Energy To 7th Street Entry

Some of the best shows are the ones you expect the least from. I honestly had no clue what I was going to see last night but my friend had signed up to do photos and I figured, why the hell not. So after conning another friend into coming with us, we turned a typically sleepy Tuesday night into a girls night party that lasted well in the wee hours of the morning. The only reason it ended up so fun and good was because of this random show that, for no other reason than fear of spending a night at home alone, I decided would be cool to check out.

First up was Toronto based Honors. I instantly fell in love with their sound. A little rap rock, a little indie pop, a little bedroom pop– my friends and I kept on trying to find someone to compare them to and although some of the names we were shouting out seemed to fit, none of them did Honors justice. Regardless of how you want to classify their music or who you want to compare them to, there’s no denying the amount of fun and energy that they brought to the 7th Street Entry. That fun and energy was reflected in the way they received by the audience. Everyone was clearly having fun there even if you, like myself, just walked into this show on a whim.

Although there was something super fun about Honors’ live show, there was still something super professional about it. Everyone had their place, every note had a purpose and, all joking aside, every member was clearly all about the music. Even during the drummer’s jaw-dropping drum solo, there was an undeniable sense of fun as he chugged beers mid solo but there was absolutely no way to deny his talent behind the kit. That element of respect for the music reigned supreme throughout their opening set and definitely gained them some new fans (including myself).

The night moved fast and in no time at all the stage was being turned over for headliner Foreign Air. Again, I had no clue who these guys were or what they were about but the way the conversations around me instantly stopped when the lights went down and they took the stage had me excited for whatever they were going to give me. Much like opener Honors, Foreign Air has a sound that refuses to be put into a box and a live show energy that refuses to be ignored. The combination of those two things made Foreign Air’s hour long set seem to fly by and it left me wanting oh so much more.

As unique as their music was, there was something so familiar about the dramatic heavy-reverb vocals and the almost electronic instrumentation of this band that I just couldn’t place. It wasn’t until their final song “Free Animal” that it all made sense. This band has been grinding and that grind plus their distinct sound will definitely put them on the may (if it hasn’t already done so). The only reason I had heard that ‘”Free Animal” song before is because it is on one of my random playlists that I listen to at work. I don’t usually pay close attention to the playlist but for some reason that song stood out and I remember having to stop what I was doing just to see who it was. For some reason the band name didn’t stick but the sound definitely did which made seeing Foreign Air live and hearing other amazing music from this group a true treat.

Trust your friends when they tell you to go to a show with them. Even if it’s not your cup of tea, you may find something that you didn’t know you needed but now can’t get enough of.