Two Hours Traffic at L3 in St. Catharines

The crowd may have been sparse, but the energy and enthusiasm that greeted Charlottetown’s favourite sons, Two Hours Traffic to the stage of St. Catharine’s L3 Club on Friday, November 27 was enough to fill a venue five times the size.  Front man Liam Corcoran described the crowd as “appreciative” after the show,  but from the perspective of the audience, it was more than just “thanks for coming to our town” conciliatory applause.  It goes deeper into the collective hearts of Canadian music fans.

As I stood and listened to Corcoran, Alec O’Hanley, Derek Ellis and Andrew MacDonald rip through a short, sharp set, I came to a stunning realization:  Two Hours Traffic have come and filled a hole in Canadian music we didn’t even know existed.  With the arrival of Little Jabs back in 2007 (their second full-length LP),  the band effectively told us that what Canada needs is more pop and less pomp:  we do  tortured/weird/eccentric artists very well, thank you very much, but there was a void left where power pop driven melodies by the likes of THT producer Joel Plaskett and Sloan were pushed out of the way in favour of Montreal- and Toronto-based artier fare (who shall remain nameless–for now).  It’s interesting how the East has risen to claim the torch for Canadian pop once more, given that in yesterday’s QBiM Q&A, Corcoran noted that a national identity is developing as bands cross the country and connect with each other.  In true Canadian fashion, our music is developing as a mosaic and not a melting pot, where every band sounds like every other.

And so it is with Two Hours Traffic.  In just a few short years, they’ve developed into a super tight four-piece with a distinctive and clear sound of their own.  It’s a testament to Joal Plaskett’s production work on Territory that when I walked into the club a bit late, and heard the opening riff of “Territory” I thought “why would the DJ be playing the record before the band goes on stage?” before realizing it wasn’t a recording I was hearing, it was the band itself.  The rest of the show was the same:  what’s been captured on tape is the essence of Two Hours Traffic’s live show.  From a propulsive “Noisemaker” to a jubilant “Jezebel”, I could close my eyes and be in my living room.

It may have been a short set, and an early one, too as the DJ at the club was hot on their tails, but that only works in Two Hours Traffic’s favour:  they left the audience high and hungry for more, promising to play longer the next time they come through town.  I for one am going to hold them to that promise.

MP3: Two Hours Traffic “Jezebel”
Mypace: Two Hours Traffic

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