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Returning to Toronto for the last stop on their brief fall tour, Born Ruffians played their largest headlining show yet on Saturday night, supported by local openers Henri Faberge and The Adorables and Hooded Fang. Having traversed the hierarchy of Toronto venues over the last few years, the Midland natives sold out the Opera House, a significant step up from many of their more intimate past shows in the city.

But while the intimacy may have been lacking, every other aspect of the show was as strong as ever (including the band’s casual wardrobe, which included Mitch rocking a t-shirt that featured a virtually life-sized likeness of Rod Stewart’s face). Filling up only a fraction of the spacious stage with their simple guitar-bass-and-drums setup, Born Ruffians made up for it with their typically frenetic, high-energy sound and stage presence, and the crowd ate it up. The Opera House didn’t sell out by accident — hardcore fans were out in abundance, and responded enthusiastically not only to singles like “Little Garcon” and “Hummingbird,” but to the lesser-known tracks from the band’s 2008 debut full-length, Red, Yellow & Blue and their earlier self-titled EP. Set closer “I Need a Life” even saw well over a dozen fans hop up on stage to bring their dance moves to a wider audience than the floor allowed for.

After Born Ruffians plowed through a significant chunk of their discography, along with a little new material, the lights came on and the band left the stage, only to be brought back by an audience that wouldn’t let them finish their tour without an encore. Performing longtime live show staple, a cover of Grizzly Bear’s “Knife,” the Ruffians bid farewell to the city once again on a high note. Next time they’re back in Toronto: The Phoenix…??

Set list:

Badonkadonkey
Kurt Vonnegut
This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life
Hedonistic Me
Barnacle Goose
Untitled new song
Foxes Mate for Life
Little Garcon
Sole Brother
In a Mirror
Merry Little Fancy Things
Hummingbird
I Need a Life

Encore:
Knife (Grizzly Bear cover)

Links:
MySpace: Born Ruffians
Official Site: Born Ruffians

Posted on Sunday, November 2nd, 2008 at 1:34 pm by Luke Adams and is filed under Concerts & Events.

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