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Rock

The Barr Brothers Tickets

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Rating: 5 out of 5 based on 8 reviews

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About

To begin their third album, The Barr Brothers weren't writing any songs. For the first time, the Montreal outfit's three members' namesake siblings Brad and Andrew Barr, harpist Sarah Pagé went empty-handed into the studio. No plans or preconceptions, no books of lyrics or sheets of chords they went down miles of snowy road to a cabin on a frozen lake, a place full of windows and microphones and starlight and sunshine, with amplifiers in the bedrooms, their volumes turned up loud. On the fringes of Saint Zenon, Québec (pop. 1,1150), a 30-minute snowmobile ride to the nearest grocery store, the band spent seven days making things up. Improvisations that lasted hours at a time noons and midnights, dusks and dawns, with grooves inspired by India, West Africa and 808s; by Brad's scorching electric guitar; and by Pagé's new inventions, hacks to turn her harp into a versatile, sub-bass-booming noisemaker.


Queens of the Breakers was born at that cabin in the country. Then the band took that racket and distilled it into songs: 11 tracks of blazing courage and failing resolve; suffused with groove, melody and the Barr Brothers' wide-open sense of the blues. At times the sound's all twinkling, the score for a lost John Hughes film; at other times it's whetted, searching, like the stuff of Lhasa de Sela or Led Zeppelin's III. These are tales of teenagers prowling through Rhode Island mansions (the title track), coming to Montreal and falling in love ("Song That I Heard"), tattered patriotism and clenching fists ("Kompromat", "Ready for War"). There's also "Defibrillation", a mournful letter from a father to his son, inspired by the broken rhythm of a pair of hospital heart monitors - and a drumbeat based on that dither.


It's this tension, this dither, that lives at the centre of Queens of the Breakers. Three players, friends, comrades, music-makers, all of them trying to play in sync. Three bandmates, each of them fumbling, remembering, trying to invent something together. A band still playing, even occasionally reimagining, their rock'n'roll.

Setlists

    1. 1.Hideous Glorious
    2. 2.Half Crazy
    3. 3.You Would Have to Lose Your Mind
    4. 4.Run Right Into It
    5. 5.Even the Darkness Has Arms
    1. 1.Take It From Me
    2. 2.Beggar in the Morning
    3. 3.Kompromat
    4. 4.Valhallas
    5. 5.Northern Stars and Battle Scars
    6. 6.Even the Darkness Has Arms
    7. 7.Run Right Into It
    8. 8.Burn Card
    9. 9.Half Crazy
    10. 10.You Would Have to Lose Your Mind

  2. Encore

    1. 11.Lean on Me (Bill Withers cover)
    2. 12.Song That I Heard
    1. 1.Take It From Me
    2. 2.Beggar in the Morning (With Brad on harmonica)
    3. 3.Drums >
    4. 4.Kompromat
    5. 5.Valhallas
    6. 6.English Harbour
    7. 7.New Song 2 (false start) (Andrew started the drumbeat for New Song 2. It was immediately abandoned for New Song 1.)
    8. 8.New Song 1
    9. 9.Even the Darkness Has Arms
    10. 10.New Song 2 (Brad joked playfully this was “The Song You’ve All Been Waiting For” (Andrew’s earlier false start))
    11. 11.Burn Card (Brad asked for requests (Burn Card, Never Been a Captain & Even Rats were requested))
    12. 12.Never Been a Captain (By request)
    13. 13.You Would Have to Lose Your Mind

  2. Encore

    1. 14.Lean on Me (Bill Withers cover) (Jam resolved into theme of Lean on Me, which led to a tender sing along with band and audience.)
    2. 15.Song That I Heard
    1. 1.Burn Card
    2. 2.Take It From Me
    3. 3.Saint Cecilia
    4. 4.New song
    5. 5.Hideous Glorious
    6. 6.Hideous Glorious, Pt. 2
    7. 7.New song
    8. 8.Beggar in the Morning

  2. Encore

    1. 9.Lean on Me (Bill Withers cover)
    2. 10.Song That I Heard
    1. 1.Take It From Me
    2. 2.Beggar in the Morning
    3. 3.Northern Stars and Battle Scars
    4. 4.Valhallas
    5. 5.Baseball
    6. 6.Even the Darkness Has Arms
    7. 7.Run Right Into It
    8. 8.Burn Card
    9. 9.Come in the Water (Audience request)
    10. 10.Half Crazy
    11. 11.Big in Japan (Tom Waits cover)
    12. 12.You Would Have to Lose Your Mind

  2. Encore

    1. 13.Lean on Me (Bill Withers cover)
    2. 14.Song That I Heard

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Reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5 based on 8 reviews
Write a review

  • A wonderful, intimate concert

    by Yanassi on 11/17/24Mercury Lounge - New YorkRating: 5 out of 5

    I little surprised it was only the two brothers. But they gave us a wonderful concert. Such soundsmiths.

  • Like like and like

    by Gilles on 4/4/23Rating: 5 out of 5

    On es allez vous voir a joiliette qc it was perfect loved it we will come see you again oh oui...

  • Barr Brothers are incredible

    by Lazlok on 5/22/16Port City Music Hall - PortlandRating: 5 out of 5

    This show was amazing. This was the second time that I have gone to a Barr Brothers concert. I've loved their music for a while, but they are an order of magnitude even better live. They are truly, truly talented musicians and songwriters. Can't wait to see them live again!

  • BarrBrothers

    by acorreia on 12/1/14The Sinclair - CambridgeRating: 5 out of 5

    Fantastic live show!! Excellent musicians and Brad has a great voice!! Great to see people enjoy what they do!!

  • Sensational evening of music

    by Kali46 on 11/25/14The Sinclair - CambridgeRating: 5 out of 5

    The level of complexity 6 multi-instrumentalists can create on stage is pretty damn astounding. I hope they come back to Boston very, very soon.

  • The best band on tour today

    by JonahS on 11/25/14The Sinclair - CambridgeRating: 5 out of 5

    I can't say enough positive things about this show. The band was phenomenal, the crowd was extremely attentive and not chatty during the performance, the venue is awesome and it was easy to find a great spot to see them (there's not a bad spot in the house!). The performance was UNREAL. I've seen The Barr Brothers a number of times and loved different shows for different reasons. This was by far the most energetic and musically tight show I've seen. They are killing it right now. Do yourself a favor and GO SEE THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

  • by Anonymous on 11/24/14Bowery Ballroom - New YorkRating: 5 out of 5

    It was one of the best shows that I have ever attended!!!!!!!!!

  • Barr Bros

    by Cinds617 on 6/12/12Brighton Music Hall - BostonRating: 5 out of 5

    I've seen these guys play at a few places in Boston and the show at Brighton Music Hall was by far the best they have been. They are working their way into bigger and bigger rooms, so if you have any interest in this band - go see them now before they are forced into bigger venues. I love the intimacy of shows at this level.