There is no doubt that The Stills are an exciting live band. Just before the band stepped on stage at the famous Troubadour in West Hollywood, there were whispers heard everywhere, “Here they come. Here they come.” Half the room screamed in ecstasy as the band descended from the Green Room above and paraded onto the stage.
Tim Fletcher (still the lead vocalist), Dave Hamelin (former drummer, now co-frontman) and Liam O’Neil (keys and cowbell) looked like they had stopped on Melrose for some light shopping before soundcheck. They all had on crisp new matching t-shirts and similar jackets which was the only indication that they put some money towards their new look and attire, much different than their suit-hipster style of the past.
As the show progressed, the scraggly and gangly Montreal Natives stepped up the rock attitude and the volume. Bassist, Oliver Corbeil spat on the stage, Tim couldn’t hold back four letter words and Dave kept perfecting the tuning on his guitar after every song.
But the new drummer, Julien Blais, added a touch, actually a slam, of metal. Nu-metal bands trying to revive the good ole days when drummers used to sit on their bass drum as a musical crutch to give a song more power can not even come close to The Stills live. The bass drum took over the show so much that the keyboard guy, in an attempt to keep up, had to beat down on the cowbell, which, half way through the set literally came unhinged from the abuse.
Musically and thematically The Stills new material is much more upbeat and cheery, yet it was hard to hear the lyrics because of the overpowering drums. If the Stills’ sense of humor could be any indication of the new upbeat and levity of the songs then it was most apparant in a song that dedicated to dating new moms (and according to Dave was about Katie Holmes.)
Although the cowbell and drums were overbearing, the show never got dull nor did the audience that rejoiced every time The Stills played an old tune. And despite his dispute with one poor cowbell, Liam managed to turn the Nord Electro 2 electromechanical keyboard into a church organ and began churning sermons into the adoring crowd.
If nothing more The Stills may not look that like they rock, but they do.
