Montreal brother and sister duo the Castagne’s played their hearts out for a handful of people at the Slice, Wednesday, July 25.
You’ve got to appreciate the duo not being subdued by a lack of numbers. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I arrived as they opened their second set , with Marjo Castagne singing laid back indie pop and wandering in front of the Slice stage while her brother Phil played laid back tender melodies on electric guitar.
The show took an abrupt turn for the louder and more energetic as Marjo took her seat behind the drum kit for most of the tight, noisy set full of blues tinged punk rock and alternative rock. Her arms were a blur as she pounded the skins, grabbing and stopping the cymbals and seamlessly keeping up with her brother’s abrupt tempo changes. he sang in a high pitched, melodic voice.
Together they sounded like a blend of the White Stripes and the Pixies thanks to Marjo’s haunting vocal harmonies sung from behind her kit. Her bother’s voice reminded me of Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner in their early more punkier days.
They slowed down abruptly mid set as Marjo took centre stage for another more mellow, introspective number allowing Phil to show off his more melodic, bluesy side, before picking up the pace again behind the kit.
