D'espairsRay @ Toronto Mod Club Theatre, Aug 11/10

[atomicduck]

A rundown of things.

Doors opened a bit late, around 7:30pm. The opening act, The Set started playing at 8:10pm and wrapped up before 9pm. They were from Victoria, BC, a very obvious indie rock kind of band, but enthusiastic and well-received. The fans were thankfully very encouraging

Comments

[atomicduck]

Oh yeah! I kind of forgot to write in my lj about it, but I'm moving there for a year or two for work. I feel like I want to travel some more and since the job prospects in Ontario are not that great anyway, it seems like the perfect time to do it. (Although job-hunting would be better in general if we weren't in a recession... I'm sure you know what I mean.) I'm moving in September, so if you're ever in London, gimme a shout. :D

Yeah, I mean Dir en grey are never all that humorous, lol, so I have no basis for comparison since they're the only other band I've seen abroad. But D'espa usually are silly people. I guess they're not confident enough in their English and would rather look overly serious than overly silly to their overseas fans.

I've heard that TX & other dates were cancelled for poor sales. Toronto had a decent turnout, but that might be because it's the only Canadian show they've ever played. It might be a result of poor promotion, but I'd hate to think it's because interest is waning. :( That might mean fewer bands visiting in general.

[deadtree]

Wow! That's awesome. You already have a job lined up and all?
I'd really like to go overseas for work again, but without access to my transcripts it seems to be no-go. Have a lot of fun! That sounds like it would be amazing.

Yeah unless you think fish-hooking is funny you can't really expect that from them xD But it's sad if Despa left behind their personalities for their shows. I think it was the same when I saw them play in TX years ago too, actually, which is really sad. I remember Karyu was SO ENERGETIC before and after the show and during practice, but then on stage they were so serious. What the hell.

Concerts have been suffering in general this summer though, at least in America-- huge acts have been canceling their entire tours or taking off big chunks of their dates, so I'm not surprised a foreign act had the same problem.

[atomicduck]

Well, sort of lined up, haha. I'm employed by an agency right now, so I will do supply work to begin with, and hopefully a contract will come my way soon enough. And thanks, I'm hoping it will turn out to be a good experience. :) How come your school won't give you your transcripts? Isn't that their job to forward those?

Yeah, Diru are at least consistently gloomy wherever they go, lol. I think D'espa seemed energetic for sure, but it was possibly a cultural barrier. I wonder how the final went in NY last night.

I didn't know other bands have been cancelling tours in America! Who else? It could be still the economic situation, maybe. Fans don't have the funds to travel and buy tickets for shows, which are admittedly a luxury. I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that it's happening to other artists and not just the foreign ones.

[deadtree]

that's cool! I can't wait to hear about it! ♥ Maybe I'll visit you in London xD I've always wanted someone to visit in London! hahaha

Yea, I wonder too-- I dunno if I know anyone who went, though :o Have to check the comm.

Ummm I know that Lilith Fair canceled like half their stops, and most of their headliners canceled on certain other stops too; Rhianna canceled some or maybe all of her dates, and Lynyrd Skynyrd did too... and a bunch of others. I didn't notice at first but then suddenly all the headlines on the entertainment feed on my phone were like "so-and-so cancels stops in GA, TX, and NM" "such-and-such postpones tour until 2011". I guess it's the economy. The price of concert tickets has been steadily rising, but rather than lower them, concerts are just being canceled.

[deadtree]

ps. I can't get my transcripts because I defaulted on my student loans ._. Because I couldn't get a job. Because they wouldn't give me my transcripts. lol.

[atomicduck]

Oh, that's ridiculous! I can't believe they'd take your transcripts hostage. D: D: D: Way to add insult upon injury.

And how come TX, GA, and NM are getting hit the hardest, I wonder. Sucks for you guys. :(

[bloodymarry]

Oh god sorry for just bursting into random comment threads, but whaaaat you're moving to London? Ooooh, I envy you! Do tell in which area you end up then! Do you have a flat or room or something to stay yet?

[atomicduck]

Haha, that's okay. We are going to be sharing a flat, and (I had to ask, because I have no sense of the geography yet) apparently the area is "south east, Lewisham or New Cross" if that means anything to you. :D

[bloodymarry]

Oh yeah I know where that is! Never been there though, I've barely been south. It's not all too far from the centre, though not exactly close either. But you're right on Shoreditch line (think it's re-opened now), which is cool, because Shoreditch is a nice area for hanging out and going out etc. East end in general is <3

[atomicduck]

That's good to know! I'm going to keep it in mind for when I go exploring. :) I don't know where I am even supposed to start-- city seems too huge.

[bloodymarry]

The centre's always a good place to start haha. Most things are pretty close to each other there, it's a really short walk from Leicester Square, which is more on the touristy amusement side, to Piccadilly Circus, and from there it's not far at all to Trafalgar Square, where e.g. the National Galleries are at. Won't take you long until you know your way round this area I promise haha. Also from Trafalgar - short walk to the Thames and Leicester Square/Soho - China Town, yay!
As for the East end, definitely check out Brick Lane for food and the Sunday up market and Spitalfields is really nice too. It's all really close to each other.
Haha, I'll leave you alone with my ramblings now. But I'm so happy for you that you get to live there for a while! I definitely loved it in London and do miss it like crazy.

[atomicduck]

This is a great list, thanks! I know you probably have friends in London, but if you miss anything in particular that you can't get in Germany, you're welcome to let me know and I'll try to find it and ship it to you. :)

[bloodymarry]

Aw thanks so much! :) I don't know what my next year's going to look like, but I definitely plan on visiting London whenever I can manage. I haven't been to Brighton yet so this is definitely on my list too!

[atomicduck]

Awesome, maybe we'll finally be able to hang out, haha!

[bloodymarry]

I'll let you know when I plan on coming to the UK then :D