It was all hair and flannel at the Independent’s Destroyer show, lead singer Daniel Bejar leading the audience into his fairytale land of whimsical lyrics and furious guitar-plucking soundtracks for the hour and a half set.
Most material was centered off new full-length Trouble In Dreams, a record we called a “surreal, poignant, and artfully-crafted album,” and Wednesday night’s show promised and delivered just that. Backed by a supporting band, Bejar flipped between acoustics, straight rock, and folk with the breeziness of ease. “Foam Hands” and “Introducing Angels” were a quiet punch of love and angst rolled into a powerful ball, Bejar standing still on stage with his eyes closed to nail the choruses for both. “Shooting Rockets (From The Desk Of Night’s Ape)” was a cinematic glory if we had ever seen one; the overwrought and sharp guitar overlaying the soft distortion and reverb gently in the distance was a delight. Crowd and personal favorite “Plaza Trinidad” was punctuated by sweet and tart piano with a jab of guitar intertwined, building for mini-epics of crescendos and peaks. I so wanted to be sitting on the venue floor listening to Destroyer on worn-in carpet and space pillows, daydreaming off to my heart’s content while being cooled with silk fans, instead of standing in the balcony - but alas…
In between songs, Bejar talked about being Canadian, how particular meals sucked (”Man, fuck dinner” when he asked the audience if they’d eaten), and flashed awkward grins into the crowd of thanks and appreciation. Needless to say, we walked out of the show with smiles on our faces and happiness in our hearts. Thank you, Daniel.
Photos by Jenz
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