The Crane Wives Soar Onstage in Toronto’s The Concert Hall
A distant, lone howl comes from the back of the stage as the rest of the band swiftly joins in on the call. Within seconds, the howl is echoed by the audience with a volume rivalling a wolf pack. This group call serves as a fitting introduction to arguably The Crane Wives’ biggest track The Moon Will Sing. With an audience so earnest in their adoration, they are quick to break into dance, acting out the beautiful melodrama of every track in a bard-like style. The folkloric prose accompanying the adorned outfits of the crowd transports any viewer into a medieval high fantasy tavern.
The appeal of this group is infectious, a perfect marriage of introspective yet intrapersonal lyrics paired with an almost mythological tone. Each tune reads sonically otherworldly; fantastical, almost like the soundtrack to a hero’s journey. Despite this, each track remains grounded and intimate, a trait inherent to their folk niche which they have beautifully mastered in their fourteen-year-long career.
In a genre full of gracefully tranquil stage presence, this group is eccentric in their engaging performance. Between Kate Pillsbury’s stunning belting and Emilee Petersmark’s infectious energy, their raw joy for performance wraps the viewer up in stunning tales of love, and loss, and journeys into the intricacies of every emotion felt when experiencing them both in stride. Making beauty of the mess, they lean into the rawness of every song’s subject in fan favourites such as “Steady, Steady”, which Pillsbury introduced by asking ‘is there any feminine rage here?’ With a rousing chorus of stomps and hollers, the answer was clear as the song began, a perfect vessel to let out one’s feminine rage.
In the spirit of live music, not everything runs perfectly. On two occasions the show was briefly paused to bring aid to audience members in need. Despite the haste and worry of the moment, it wasn’t out of the ordinary to hear other audience members call out their well wishes followed by cheers of agreement. This prompted Pillsbury to lead the entire venue in a breathing exercise to calm any nerves in a beautiful display of community before moving on to the next song. Something that cannot be denied is the inherent warmth the band has fostered within its audience. Each member of The Crane Wives exudes a melting amount of warmth. They ooze pure delight while indulging in their art with love and hope so genuine it is instantaneously mirrored back by the crowd.
Photo’s (c) Carla Haddad
