Mark Wilson Live at NXNE 2007
Ottawan Indie Singer-Songwriter Shines on Opening Night of Festival
Ottawan indie singer-songwriter Mark Wilson opened proceedings at the legendary Horsehoe Tavern in downtown Toronto and kicked off NXNE 2007 in style.
- Genre: indie / folk / folk rock
- Mark Wilson (vocals / guitars) with special guests The Last Dinosaur
- Sounds like: Neil Young, Arcade Fire, The Thrills
- Event: NXNE 2007
- Venue: The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, Canada
- Date: Thursday June 07 2007
- Mark Wilson
A New Star Is Born
One of the best things about the annual North By North East (NXNE) festival in Toronto is the way that new bands and artists reach a far bigger audience, thanks to the way the festival is geared to promoting the best in indie and unsigned acts. Last year it was the turn of Mariana's Trench and Neverending White Lights, to name just two. This year, Toronto was treated to a wonderful new voice in Mark Wilson.
Hailing from Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, Wilson shows both a vocal and writing style well beyond his tender years (he's still only 21 years old) that mixes the vocal styling of his hero Neil Young with the musical leanings of fellow Canadians Arcade Fire and British Beach Boy lovers The Thrills. And as the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in downtown Toronto found out, it's a mix that bodes well for Wilson's future.
Voice from the Shadows
Taking to the stage with his friends and backing band The Last Dinosaur, who have a violin and a French horn as part of their musical make-up, Wilson was a picture of shy vulnerability; yet this only added to his appeal as he played songs from The Endless Elevator Tour EP and more. You could almost see the girls in the audience yearning to embrace him and tell him everything would be all right. Yet when he sang, it was with a happy joie-de-vivre that made everyone want to hug each other, such was the vibe emitted from this talented songsmith.
Opening with the gentle The Art Of Give and Take, the broken vocal style of Wilson grabbed the attention immediately, and offered a slice of 60's Americana wrapped up in a mid-tempo mix of how Big Sur by The Thrills might sound if Neil Young ever recorded it. With emphatic backing from his band, who stayed on the right side of impressive all night, it's a beautiful track that stands head and shoulders above the trite that radio stations offer their listeners today.
Confirming Wilson's status as one to watch in 2007 was the glorious Stones and Sticks, a rousing track that could have sat on Arcade Fire's seminal Rebellion album. Stirring strings and hypnotising bass carried the crowd along on a wonderful journey, to a barnstorming finale that lifted the roof of The Horseshoe.
Next Stop, the World
With songs such as Blackout The Ballroom, with its sheer good-natured feel challenging you not to tap your feet and smile like an idiot, or the almost White Stripes feel of Cut Down, Wilson had the crowd cheering louder and louder as his set progressed. Toronto giggers are known for their appreciation of live music, and when it's as good as Mark Wilson, they show that appreciation in ways usually reserved for so-called bigger acts, and so it was at the Horseshoe.
Although his name may not have been that well-known prior to his set at the opening night of this year's NXNE, by the time he had played his last song, the name of Mark Wilson would surely have been on everyone's lips, and a return visit to the city can't come soon enough. Maybe next time he won't feel as shy, as he'll certainly be amongst old friends.
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