Mark Andrew Hamilton chose to name his band Woodpigeon because, when written in cursive, it resembles a roller coaster. Rather fitting for the sweeping loops and orbital reverb of the Vienna-by-way-of-Calgary singer-songwriter’s brand of folk. Besides, anyone who can dedicate a song about gay pirates to Stephen Harper in a church is bound to deliver an awe-inspiring performance — and Tuesday night’s set at the Music Gallery was no exception.
Previous forms of Woodpigeon have seen Hamilton working with up to eight other bandmates, and he has collaborated with the likes of Iron & Wine, Grizzly Bear and Broken Social Scene. Last night, Hamilton went solo and played to full pews at the Music Gallery, a.k.a. St. George the Martyr Anglican Church (in which we were admittedly cautious of drinking a beer, especially since there was a simultaneous church meeting happening in the bar’s adjoining room).
It’s been two years since Hamilton last toured in his native country — a rare treat for those part of his cult following, one that was further sweetened by the debut of his tour-only album, Diamonds. International critics, however, have long admired his work, and he was recently bestowed a New Talent award in the UK.
Perhaps it was because he was backed by hallowed stained-glass or because of his formidable facial hair (what is it with folk singers and their menacing mutton chops?), but Hamilton’s show felt transcendent and spiritual. It was punctuated by his characteristic banter, such as asking the crowd whether they’d rather hear a song about regrets or a song about gay pirates (no competition), then proceeding to dedicate the song to our prime minister. And only Hamilton could make us laugh when describing the death of an elephant.
This one-man-with-a-guitar show lacked the production value and instrumentation (including glockenspiels, lap steel guitars, strings, flutes, choirs) that backs almost all Woodpigeon records, but Hamilton made up for it with a loop pedal machine, allowing for a fully-realized set that was brimming with guitar reverb and Hamilton’s own whisper-singing that echoed up into the rafters of the sacred space.
Much to our delight, Woodpigeon cherry-picked from all three of his full-length albums, offering an unapologetically romantic performance. While many of the tracks, such as “Our Love is as Tall as the Calgary Tower” and “For Paolo” can come off as sickly-sweet, even to a fault, Hamilton countered with the darkly macabre “Redbeard” and a song inspired by a 12-year-old who drowned in a river trying to save his friend. Think wistfully lachrymose rather than cheesy sentimentality.
Woodpigeon – For Paolo from Boompa Records on Vimeo.
