After the drive back
from Toronto I was looking forward to going home and
collapsing in front of my TV. I thought if I was lucky GolTV would rerun a
Manchester United or Arsenal game from yesterday. I'm so knackered I'd settle
for a Newcastle match, but no! I get to the office, to drop
off my record bag and laptop, only to find John's post on the Radio 3 site,
saying he's eagerly anticipating my post… from last night. Aw man... thanks for
making me feel bad. Here we go then...
Sunday night's See
Vous Play wasn't just good music and good fun, it was a cross-cultural
exchange and it's with great pride that I participated in the event.
The day started early
for our technicians who got to the Koolhaus at 8am. The video crew from Montreal and the sound crew from Toronto busied themselves getting everything ready for
the first sound checks at noon. Slowly the bands began arriving: Joel Plaskett first, then Les Trois
Accords followed by Emily Haines' ten-piece orchestra and finally Montreal's indomitable Breastfeeders.
By late afternoon the
CBC Radio 3 and Bande À Part hosts you already know started trickling in.
Lauren Burrows and Alexandre Courteau, whose chemistry as a duo is amazing
after all those weeks touring and hosting together last winter, hosted the event
from a small stage in the middle of the crowd. The sharply-dressed Grant
Lawrence and "toujours belle" Natalie Poirier presented the bands
onstage, while madness was the responsibility of François Lemay and Craig
Norris, who spent their time cavorting with the musicians backstage. After
meeting Norris for the second time I can officially state that he's one of the craziest
dudes I met in my life. That's a compliment Craig!
By 7pm we go on air, with yours truly spinning a 100%
Canadian set for our audience watching on the internet, listening over the
airwaves or digging it in the room. From here on it it's sort of a blur: I
remember the Breastfeeders tearing everything down like a wild tornado; Emily
Haines hypnotizing everyone with her soft, delicate music; Les Trois Accords
delighting fans – who knew there were so many of them in Toronto!?! – who sang
along through the whole set and Joel Plaskett, certainly the crowd favorite,
whipping out the hits to finish the evening in beauty.
Already last night, after
everything had settled down and we were hanging out backstage, I was remarking
how wonderful it was for me to have worked with my English Radio 3 and French
Bande À Part colleagues at the same time. Somewhat surreal, yet so comfortable.
You see, for a person who
grew up speaking both French and English daily, See Vous Play is reality. I
live my life bilingually, switching from one language to the other and back
again constantly. It's how my brain works. It's how I think!
To experience an event
where the hosts are doing just that and the music acts and the technical crews
as well, is what I always believed Canada to be all about, and seeing our two
music scenes united was a joy for me. Judging by the reaction the crowd had to
our bands from Quebec maybe I'm not alone feeling that way, and that's pretty cool!
Hey bosses! Can we do this again next year?
Check out the sets:
Les Breastfeeders
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton
Les Trois Accords
The Joel Plaskett Emergency
And check out our
collections of pictures:
Small selection
Whole thing