Lupinore Does The Gentlemen's Expo: Friday Night Edition

Every weekend, the city is bustling with musicians trying to get their name out there. Playing their hearts out for peanuts, all for the sake of “exposure.” But why is Toronto so oblivious to the amount of musical talent it possesses? An entire weekend of music was happening at various locations throughout the city yet I chose Friday night at the Gentlemen’s Expo to prove a point. Point being… *ahem* People want to love music, but they don’t know what type to enjoy, to search for, to love, so, we as a society, rely on events, such as this one to expose us to new sounds, sounds we weren’t expecting on hearing but sounds we’re glad we heard. Throughout the years, The Gentlemen’s Expo has consistently showcased amazing musical acts. There were two musical acts to keep us entertained that Friday evening. I should also mention there were only two musical acts scheduled for that evening. Both bands played and enjoyed what I like to refer to as “the delusional set.” (Delusional Set: The set where the band on stage has to visualize themselves elsewhere, preferably on a grander venue in front of a much larger audience. )  First up! The good ol’ Luke Austin band, better known in some circles as TLAB. I’ve reviewed their show before so I won’t be spending too much time reiterating what I have previously expressed.  Before I continue, I must also mention that the stage was put together beautifully. It was the complete “rock star experience” and anyone performing on that stage could have proudly called themselves artistes. There was a camera hovering above the drummer’s kit so the crowd could follow every drag, every decrescendos and whatever else drummers do. There were two more cameras positioned off to the sides, at the front of the stage, to capture the glamour, the passion and the skills it took to be up there. The lighting was just as spectacular. Variations in the tempo would illuminate the stage in different shades, allowing us to feel different feels. All eight of us watching experienced the same energy. It was probably more than eight but for the amount of seating space available, it may as well have been eight. TLAB didn’t care. 

Those dudes played as if they were rocking out to a sold out crowd at the Molson Amphitheater. Bryan was still bouncing around, Kennedy was still shredding the guitar, and Mike was drumming as Luke was crooning.  Yes, TLAB was TLAB and you couldn’t expect anything less from these gifted musicians. 

Young Empires followed suit. Putting on a massive show in front of a somewhat smaller audience, which they had not problems doing. I had never seen them live until that point but have always heard great things. Understandably so! They too brought that ‘Molson Amphitheater’ energy. Jamming as loudly and as poetically as possible, lead singer Matthew Vlahovich passionately serenated the crowd song after song with a slight air of romance. 

He was our suitor and every single one of us was a potential lover. What was awesome about Young Empires and TLAB was their energy. Their energy drew the crowd. I know I attempted to joke about there being only eight people sitting in the seats but what I failed to notice was pockets of crowds gathering in the surrounding areas.  All those seats, all those sections were empty until these bands began playing. The more they played the bigger the crowd became. And to us, the music and the feels they shared with us was all that mattered. The Gentlemen’s Expo sure knows how to pick awesome bands. Kudos organizers.  Now let’s get more asses in chairs.