Patrick Watson

It is nice when The Scala isn’t sold out. The place is more uncomfortable than back alley acupuncture when packed; empty, however, it is a dream. Everyone is on their way, however, as Miracle Fortress is warming up tonight, setting the stage for their labelmates Patrick Watson. But right now sound fills the cracks usually holed up by sweating bodies; I can see the stage for once and it all smells like chlorine, rather than spilled beer mixed with rush-hour body odour.

A solo project on record, Miracle Fortress is a quartet tonight, as leader Graham van Pelt is joined by Montreal-bred stagehands on various guitars, keyboards and drums. Miracle Fortress is one of the more underrated Canadian pop bands traversing Britain right now. Their lovely long player, Five Roses (review), came and went with most, but it stuck to me. Months later, the residue remains, held on with glorious reverb tinged with the Beach Boys’ melodic prowess and Sufjan Stevens’ emotion. Truly an album so gorgeous, it reminds why pop is best pure, without the need to dance or molest a synthesizer.

But the 40 minutes here do not resemble Five Roses. Songs from the record appear; ‘Maybe Lately’ and ‘Poetaster’ are two, but the whimsy on tape is gone, replaced with distortion, noise, noodling and disorganization. In addition, Pelt is flustered on stage. He fumbles lyrics in one instance, vocals that are too low in the mix to begin with, while his band fills the room with noise, just noise, rather than melody, emotion and substance, creating versions of songs that do not translate live. It does not mean there aren’t melodic flights of fancy on record, but right here, right now, Miracle Fortress is plugging holes, rather than enjoy the spoils of past labours. Confusion tops confidence and the songs, consequently, suffer.

Once in a while a band is allowed a mulligan, but nothing tonight exemplifies any hints that these songs will ever get better live. For example, experimenting in 'This Thing About You' loses sight of its tonal beauty, while album show stopper ‘Have You Seen In Your Dreams’ succumbs to overzealous delay effects that ruin its affection. Still, there is no doubt beauty resides in Miracle Fortress. Elements of each song make this evident - remember, this is brilliant pop music, however embattled it becomes in the flesh. Five Roses remains one of my Desert Island Discs. No need for them to come and tour where I get stranded, though.