The sharks remained unfed, and music was saved, at least, for those suffering from the lack of diversity in the North American music scene. Barely filling the small venue in downtown Toronto, a small crowd of nine-hundred gathered for a rather intimate evening with Starsailor.

With a guitar and microphone, Johnathan Rice, the supporting act, warmed up the audience with a few tunes and some cleverly pegged jokes in his diminishing Scottish accent. The general description attributed to him is similar to that of John Mayer, although this seems to be an understatement. Young and outwardly shy, Rice brushed his hair out of his eyes and injected every part of him into playing his yet unheard songs for an anxious 6:45 crowd. He proved he could deal with a small audience, and turned it into an attentive and impressed group of listeners. Johnathan Rice can out-perform artists in the man-with-a-guitar-song genre, and did.

Incredibly warmed to the Toronto atmosphere, one would be hard-pressed to find a band more comfortable onstage in a new city than Starsailor. A smooth transition from the recorded track of “Shark Food” into the full blown live chorus as the band stepped onstage commanded the audience’s attention. If not for the bursts of cheer as the four Englishmen climbed the stage steps, the change from recorded to live vocals was unnoticeable and spectacular. James Walsh is a musician who can truly sing, and his other role of guitarist unfolded just as seamlessly. Mid-set, Walsh took the stage solo with his acoustic guitar and confidently wavering vocals, re-affirming that he is as good as the audience thought.

Berry Westhead, pressing out a few notes on the keyboards, has mastered the art of substituting tobacco for oxygen. It was really quite impressive as, cigarette in mouth, he added the perfect measurement of mellow accompaniment to what would otherwise be a less-melodic set.

Infiltrating the sense of rock-and-roll into the sound, bassist James Stelfox adds some heavy grounding to the lager. He does this in two tactics, really. Standing at the feet of Stelfox, it was easy to see each bottle of Corona as it was finished off and set down. More importantly, however, it was easy to feel the smooth, indulgent bass as it was heartily absorbed into the body.

The thing that really makes any quantity of sound into music, however, is a rhythm. What really counts is a well-kept rhythm, and Ben Byrne and his drum-set did their job with skill and tact. His contribution was not invasive, but built on the tracks sparsely scattered with guitar.

Being held to a deadline of a 9 PM finish, Walsh wittily remarked that the venue had to be cleared for the dancing later in the evening. This really proves a simple fact: Starsailor simply aren’t given the credit they deserve. They have the ability to evoke incredible emotion from an audience. Their ability to keep a crowd dancing and then turn that very same group of fanatics into solemn, melancholic listeners is unrivalled by others. The entire experience is exhilarating, liberating, and tremendously cathartic. It would be in one’s interest to hope that, for Starsailor, silence isn’t easy.

Set List Included:
Shark Food
Music Was Saved
Alcoholic
Poor Misguided Fool
Born Again
Fidelity
Lullaby
Love is Here
Tie Up My Hands
Silence is Easy
Fever
Good Souls