June 27, 2004
Rough Trade kicks off "Jazz" Pride

TORONTO -- No doubt fans raised an eyebrow at the news that iconic alt-rockers Rough Trade had chosen a jazz festival to reunite for a 30th-anniversary gig.

Not Scott Thompson.

The irreverent comedian, who was asked by lead-singer Carol Pope to introduce the band at Saturday's show at the Kool Haus, knew exactly why they had chosen the unusual setting.

"It's Jazz Pride," joked Thompson, juxtaposing the titles of the two big events happening simultaneously in Toronto this weekend and touching on Rough Trade's heroic stature in the gay community. "One of the greatest bands this country has ever produced and certainly the most groundbreaking."

With that Pope and long-time cohort Kevan Staples took the stage in front of a small-but-enthusiastic crowd, that appeared to be equal parts straight and queer.

"There's not enough homos here, so what the fuck's going on?" inquired a very tanned and taut Pope. "Are there some moms and dads here? Are there some people here who were at The Chimney?"

The referrence to the band's mythic sweat-soaked, sex-infused and gender-bending shows at the former Yonge-Street club in the mid-70s brought the decidedly older crowd to life, before Pope kicked off the show with "All Touch."

Despite breaking up nearly 20 years ago, Pope and Staples instantly regained their groove on the classic off their 1982 album, for those who think young.

The art-rock number could almost seem at home in today's musical environment, where Gwen Stefani and Hillary Duff have re-popularized classic '80s tunes by Talk Talk and The Go-Go's. It's perhaps the best collaboration of Pope's Mancunian-tinged vocals and Staples's hyper-kinetic-Paul-Schaffer-on-acid keyboard stylings. Staples, who also wigged out on "Crimes of Passion," must have been inspired by having his 91-year-old father on hand.

The duo's songs, backed by guitarists Tim Welch and Rick Hyslop, bassist Rob Laidlaw and drummer Neil Burstyn, still rock and possess the power to instantly take you back in time to a far-less homogenized musical era.

Back then Rough Trade was admired as paragons of the perverse. An unabashedly gay band, with an in-your-face lesbian frontwoman and a unique sound that fused disco and punk sensibilities, well before Blondie brought it into the mainstream.

While groups like Blondie got tons of airplay and headlined Studio 54, they never came close to matching Rough Trade's impact as the purveyors of alternative morality and culture.

On this night the sexual politics again dripped from the stage, as a now 50-plus Pope simulated masturbation and seductively growled out the line on Crimes of Passion: "Her hands slip down into the moistness of herself."

From there she drifted effortlessly into the "lesbo" anthems "Territorial", off 1982's Weapons, and "High School Confidential" off their 1980 debut Avoid Freud.

"When I was growing up there was just one girl who was school trash," insisted Pope on the subject matter of "High School Confidential," before taking a shot at the coquette-ishness of Brittany Spears and Christina Aquilera. "Now everybody is school trash. Everybody is Brittany or Christina or some kind of ho."

The song showcased Pope's only gyrating of the night, but the crotch-grabbing that was so controversial in the '70s has definitely lost its edge in the wake of Madonna, Michael Jackson and Eminem.

It's hard to imagine how revolutionary Rough Trade was, as their music seems pedantic when contrasted with that of bands like The Smiths, U2, REM, Metallica, Nirvana, Oasis and other bands, who have altered the musical landscape since Rough Trade released their final album, O Tempora! O Mores! in 1984.

Ironically the intervening years have done little to further the cause of gay rights and Pope's lyrics are still as relevant today as they were then. Pope has been an outspoken critic of Conservative leader Stephen Harper, comparing him to American president George Bush. Both strongly oppose gay marriage.

This appeared to be what Pope was alluding to when she introduced the song "What's the Furor About the Fuhrer," by stating: "This is still as pertinent today as when we wrote it back in 1487."

Pope yelled out the lyrics Nina-Hagen style, while striking the Hitler pose - her hand raised rigidly above her head:

What's this furor about the Fuhrer/We're just sinking back into it/Everyone of us is a Neo-Nazi living in a so-called democracy

In true Pope fashion nothing was off limits, as she even took a shot at the Gay Pride festival.

"Gay Pride is stupid. Did I say stupid? Pride for me is just going from bar to bar and staring at chics. Is that so wrong?" she scowled to the couple hundred faithful, who shunned the pick-up joints - a staple of Pride weekend - to watch the aging rockers.

Singling out a special day to celebrate one's "gayness" would naturally seem odd to Pope, who confidently expressed her sexuality long before "Gay Pride" days existed. In that way she has never needed to parade it. However that doesn't mean Pope wouldn't be attending the parade.

"Perhaps you'll see me tomorrow as I go swilling beer from tent to tent, as I make my way through Gay Pride."

Pope used the encore to debut her title song off her new album "Transcend," that she has yet to find a distributor for.

"I'm just whoring my new product out... work with me people," Pope pleeded on what she has described as Nine Inch Nails meets Rough Trade. The haunting number was received well, with many holding their bics aloft. Pope jokingly urged them to buy one of the three copies that she had on hand. "Please support me, I'm a poor starving musician."

Apart from the 30th-anniversary angle, the show was not the first time Rough Trade has performed since splitting up in 1986. They reunited for a 20th-anniversary gig in Toronto in 1994 and performed together on a mini tour of Eastern Canada in 2001.

Despite last night's poor attendance, they appeared to truly enjoy themselves. On a couple of occasions Staples was moved to hug and kiss Pope, once in the middle of the encore version of "All Touch."

"Let's do one more because you're so fucking great," Pope barked after the song, before performing another four. "You've been an amazing audience, I want to bear your children."

That sentiment was certainly shared by the crowd, especially Lorne Patterson, who originally saw Rough Trade at The Chimney and has been a fan ever since.

"We flew in yesterday, saw the ad in the paper and decided to come down and see them," confessed Patterson, who came with his partner all the way from Vancouver to attend the Pride festivities. While it had been a while between concerts for him, Patterson was impressed by the show and Pope's performance in particular. "She's still got it."

NOTES: The night's most awkward moment was provided by former MuchMusic VJ Sook-Yin Lee, who paid tribute to the band by putting her own artful spin on "Birds of a Feather." Lee, accompanied by heavy feedback supplied by two steel-guitar players dubbed "The Brothers of Neurotic Trio," remained true to the song lyrically before adding a bizarre bee-bop ending that sounded like she was trying to communicate with dolphins.

SELECTED SET LIST

All Touch

Hostage

America

Endless Night

Weapons

Butch

I Want To Live

Prisoner Of My Skin

Birds Of A Feather (Sook-Yin Lee)

Ladder

Crimes Of Passion

Territorial

What's The Furor About The Fuhrer

High Scool Confidential

Shaking The Foundation

ENCORE

Transcend

All Touch

On The Line

Hostage

JAM! Rating: 3.5 out of 5