There is no question that Vancouver-based pop-punk outfit Marianas Trench are coming into their own as performers. In the past year alone, they performed in the 100th Grey Cup halftime show, served up a show-stopping performance of “Stutter” at the 2013 Juno Awards and launched their first arena tour as headliners, titled Face the Music.
But as Friday night’s Molson Amphitheatre show highlighted, they still have a ways left to go.
It’s not that the band didn’t offer up some entertainment. Josh Ramsay, Matt Webb, Mike Ayley and Ian Casselman clearly enjoy being on stage, and they brought a level of infectious fun as they moved through their songbook. Tracks like “Desperate Measures,” “Fallout” and “Celebrity Status” were crooned with no shortage of unscripted, messy dancing or eager audience participation.
But a headlining act requires more than fun, frivolity and a couple of high points. Much of the needlessly long, two-hour set felt like filler, and the inclusion of several video interludes felt like time wasters more than complementary assets. The show lacked flow and couldn’t sustain its energy for longer than two or three songs at a time.
There were other issues, too. Ramsay’s voice wasn’t bad per se, but its uniqueness — apparent in the band’s recorded tracks — doesn’t stand out as clearly live. As a whole, the band’s musicality left plenty to be desired, especially during a bland acoustic offering of “Lover Dearest.” Evidence that they have yet to completely emerge as headliners was also evident from a rather sparse — albeit adoring — crowd, with one staff member noting that he had been told the audience tally was less than 7,000.
The band’s ace in the hole over what has almost been a full year of touring as headliners has been the assistance of highly capable supporting acts. Following in the mold of other Canadian talents such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Down With Webster, Victoria Duffield and Danny Fernandes, Lights stepped up to fill the role admirably with a 45-minute set that featured hits like “Ice” and “Second Go.”
Maybe Marianas Trench should take a page from the book of their skilled opener. Armed with plenty of promise and an ever-growing fan base, their time will come. But for now, at a time when the band is probably best consumed in short bursts, less is probably more.
