SPILL LIVE REVIEW: THE FOREIGN RESORT @ THE HIDEOUT, TORONTO

The Foreign Resort

@ The Hideout, Toronto

April 22, 2017

There are many times in which I walk into a venue not knowing what to expect at all, I simply go in and listen and discover, it makes me feel like those baseball recruiters who would travel long distances to find new stars. The first time I saw The Foreign Resort in September 2016, without having heard their discography before seeing them live, that was definitely a homerun. The deep and dark sound, the emotion of the music and the lyrics, the passion and skill of their performers. This Danish post punk band is a must see, must hear,  must be devoted of. As soon as they announced their Toronto dates for Canadian Music Week I made this a priority in my calendar.

The streetcar is slow as usual but the weather is nice so I open the window and enjoy the breeze and the polution. The venue, The Hideout, takes my breath away, it has dark themed murals and some luxurious black couches that seem to belong in a neo Victorian mansion. I make myself comfortable and wait for the show to start. Like every other Canadian Music Week show I attended this one starts right on time. Some of us move closer to the stage and the sound begins to cover us and absorb us, it just takes a few seconds for the audience to be under the spell of The Foreign Resort.

The set starts with “Onto Us”, followed by “Under Bright Neon Stars” and then one of my favorites, “Suburban Depression”. The music invades all of my senses and it is at once so inviting and mysterious. “Take a Walk” is the next song in the set and after that, the new single, “She is Lost”. At this point I’m already dancing and holding back the tears, reminiscing of love lost and sinking deeper into this sublime set, others are dancing in their own spot, this is the sound of introverts, regardless, we move. The last 3 songs are “Flushed”, “Skyline/Decay” and “Dark White” and we are all left in a music high after the intensity that The Foreign Resort put into this show.

The band packs and soon enough they are back, talking to friends and fans, signing vinyl, sharing beers and anecdotes with people, proving not only they are an outstanding group of musicians but also wonderful human beings, warm and friendly even in spite of jetlag. I have to call it an early night and head back home smiling, looking at the buildings and reflecting about the dichotomies of Toronto, thinking how most big cities share their chaos and struggles but how beautiful it is when we also share music like that of The Foreign Resort.

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