THE CLIKS
DOLORATA
ORIGAMI
Bottom of The Hill
August 21, 2007


In what must surely win understatement of the year, Origami’s Rhonda Simmonds sings: “We are the kids you wanna get down with” (from the song “Broken Hearts and Broken Teeth,” off of Origami’s EP Lovers in America).

The sheer energy of this band is contagious. Their sound is a fun, danceable mix of punk rock, no wave, and classic 60’s surf a la one of my personal favorites, The Kinks.

Put simply, Origami makes garage punk rock that you can dance to. And that’s just what this girl adores! Their music hits you hard right in the gut and forces your body to shake and move.

Origami opened the show, which is always an early slot at Bottom of The Hill, but there was a large gathering of people by the stage that only grew larger as the band pumped out the tunes.

Origami sounds amazing live and Rhonda Simmonds (vox, guitar & keys) is easily one of the most impressively dynamic live performers I have encountered. She is a force to be reckoned with on stage. You can’t help but notice her, watch her, and get drawn in and wholly inspired by her performance. She engages the audience during songs and is impossible to ignore – not that anyone in their right mind would want to ignore her.

Oh yeah, I have a big time band crush on Origami…watch out! Their musicianship is tight; their songs are catchy, raw, hard, danceable and fun; and their live show takes your breath away. The jagged guitar and bass lines of Illana Goldberg and Natalie White are simply brilliant, and, backed by the deep, aggressive beats of drummer Matthew Snyder, the band’s sound is flawless.

I have to be honest: Origami blew the rest of the line up out of the water. The other bands could not compare; it wasn’t their fault, few bands could match the charisma of Origami. They are most certainly the kids you want to get down with…

Origami, will you date me?

Dolorata is a blues-influenced rock band that took the middle slot of the show. The band was solid musically, and consisted of obviously talented musicians, but it just didn’t come together. Something just didn’t work for me, and they seemed to loose the audience as well. They definitely have potential but I felt the performance fell short.

The Cliks, hailing from Toronto and headlining fresh off some The L Word soundtrack hype, closed the show. Again: solid musicians, the sound hard and clean with good stage energy, but outmatched by Origami. The show was full of fans that sang and shouted along and obviously loved the show. The Cliks have been compared to The Pretenders, The White Stripes, and David Bowie. For me, the set just sounded all the same and didn’t get me excited.

[Katie Kaapcke]

[STREAM] Origami: Various Tracks

[STREAM] The Cliks: Various Tracks