THE PRIMRODS, Royal Canadian Legion No. 1 (Calgary, AB, Saturday May 14/11)On Saturday night, one of Canada's most intelligent bands took the stage in a top-secret gig after more than ten years of breaking up. After four short practices, The Primrods threw down a mind-blowing and incendiary show to a full house at the gorgeous Royal Canadian Legion No. 1 in downtown Calgary.
In typical fashion for western Canada's most mysterious band, the show was a closely guarded secret. The gig was a surprise 40th birthday present to the lovely Jenny Falconer (owner of Purr) from her husband Ben Falconer (bassist of The Primrods, owner of Melodiya Records and Phoenix Comics). The show was Calgary's best kept secret for over a month until an online leak inevitably occurred two weeks prior to the gig. Incredibly, the leak did not reach the delighted birthday girl, but managed to connect with all the music obsessives in Calgary and across the country.
Doors were opened at 9pm and, over the course of the night, excited new faces and tons of music scene mainstays trickled through the door. Much like a reunion, there were plenty of hugs, laughter, drinks, homemade birthday treats, and catching up until 11pm when the band took the stage.
Jaws dropped to see an unexpected early incarnation of The Primrods appear on stage: Paul Coutts (vocals), Jon Sawyer (guitar, backup vocals), Ben Falconer (bass) and Mark Igglesden (drums). The last version of The Primrods included Garrett McClure (vocals, guitar) and Chris Faulkner (drums). Both versions were equally impressive, but it was a sweet nostalgic surprise to see Coutts back on a Calgary stage since relocating to Edmonton years ago.
All nostalgia disappeared when the band vigorously tore into their setlist and assailed the audience with blasts of smart, compelling and assertive songs that have seemingly taken a backseat to today's paler indie rock fare. The band performed the discography that they created together — songs from the Encourage Citizen Advocacy cassette (1994), the Canadian classic Kneecappin'! (1995) and others. While the crowd sang along and snapped photos until 1am, the gig was recorded in high definition glory. For those who missed the post-rock bash of the year, there may still be a way to experience or revisit the gig in the future.
The Primrods were art school heroes in the '90s. After an assortment of record label scouts flew to Calgary to see them perform, they were quickly signed to Geffen Records in the late '90s. After a merger between Universal and Polygram, The Primrods and many other bands were lost in the shuffle. Disheartened by the industry, The Primrods disbanded. Despite invitations and unabashed begging, the band did not perform together again until Saturday night. Fortunately, their music lives on and, fingers crossed, perhaps it won't be another ten years before we see them perform again.
To see video from the night, click here.
To see video from the night, click here.
To purchase Primrods albums, head to Melodiya Records/Phoenix Comics 2523A 17th Avenue SW. Live out of town? Call Melodiya Records at 403-246-8916 or e-mail phoenixcomics@shaw.ca and put "Attn: Ben Falconer, Primrods" in the subject header.
