Ted Leo - Babylon, Ottawa, 2/10/2005

by Andrew Carver

published: 17 / 9 / 2005

Andrew Carver watches Ted Leo make a long-awaited return to Ottawa, and finds his mod and emo-inspired punk-pop combining "heart, speed and brain" to make him one of the best performers around

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Ted Leo made a long-awaited return to Ottawa on a warm Sunday evening to play for a large and enthusiastic audience. I arrived at 8:45 to see locals Robot Kill City thrash and twisting their way through the last 15 minutes of their set. “This song is about the two best things about church” one member declared before the band launched into 'Clowns and Lasers'. Their frenetic performance and post-punk sound was entertaining as usual. North Of America was also greeted with considerable enthusiasm. The band has just returned from a two-year hiatus. The band’s strange rhythms, inspired by post punk, post rock and Washington D.C. hardcore are enforced by a punishing drummer (or two, since there was switching about of guitars and traps) and support emotive vocals from all four members. The young crowd ate it up, but I confess to being unable to remember a lyric or melody the morning after. Perhaps that’s because Ted Leo’s wiry, reverberating guitar and distinctive vocal yelp scoured clean all that went before. Leo must be one of the best performers around, both on record and live. His mod and emo-inspired punk-pop combines heart, speed and brain. The band raced through material from Leo’s critically acclaimed 'Shake the Sheets', 'Hearts of Oak' and 'Tyranny of Distance' albums as well as material older and newer. The band spared the audience the timeworn “encore” ritual, playing through to the show curfew of 11:15. After a final run through of Stiff Little Fingers’ 'Suspect Device' – as timely as ever – and a final solo turn from Leo, it was a good night for one of the sharpest acts around.