Young Galaxy Go Forward With New 'Beginning'

Posted on Mar 11th 2011 12:15PM by Melody Lau
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Joe Yarmush

Thursday night's Young Galaxy performance marked a new era for the experimental Montreal outfit. "This is the beginning... we're not slick yet," co-vocalist Steve Ramsay proclaimed to the audience gathered at Toronto's famed venue Lee's Palace for CMW/CMF.

The night, first and foremost, was the debut of yet another new lineup for the band, with a new drummer and keyboardist taking over the duties of former member Max Henry, now devoting his energy to another Montreal band, Suuns. Young Galaxy's new additions proved successful, too. Despite battling minor sound glitches at the beginning of the set, overall, they had a triumphant first showing.

What's more, Young Galaxy's new record, 'Peripheral Visionaries,' translated beautifully in a live atmosphere. The band masterfully wove together songs like the meandering 'Cover Your Tracks' and the disc's title track with set staples 'Queen Drum' and 'Outside the City' to the most dazzling effect, demonstrating their strong suit for navigating their catalogue.

Then there was visibly pregnant vocalist Catherine McCandless. Sporting a baby bump, highlighted by a loose-fitting silk shirt, McCandless showed no signs of slowing down despite being seven or so months along. She may have told Spinner in a recent interview that she wouldn't be "shaking it onstage," but the singer was far from stationary Thursday night, dancing around as sprightly as ever.

"The live show really livens me up," McCandless told Spinner following Young Galaxy's set. Though the band clearly thrives in the live environment, it seems they'll welcome a much-needed break from touring when their current run wraps later this month. "I was tired at 8:30PM!" says McCandless, who didn't hit the stage until 11:30PM.

So while Young Galaxy's performance wasn't necessarily as well-tuned as usual, the night was perhaps more memorable for it as the audience got a glimpse at a new chapter for the band, a "reinvention" as Ramsay called it.

"We've messed with the program, you guys are our guinea pigs tonight."

Watch Young Galaxy's Video for 'We Have Everything'