The Lonely Parade The Ship, St. John's NL, April 25

Photo: Stephen Carlick
Peterborough, Ontario's the Lonely Parade made their intentions clear right away, as the trio broke into a jittery opening that, like the rest of their set, seemed to take a left turn at every stop. Bassist/singer Charlotte Dempsey demonstrated on their first song her authoritative voice, which commands one's attention. But she and co-singer/guitarist Augusta Veno were supported from every direction by excellent musicianship, too.

Drummer Ani Climenhage drove the band through the breakdowns of "Depression Song," and Dempsey followed every twist in the rhythm sharply. Meanwhile, Veno's voice possessed a more anxious, pissed-off quality, conveying a sneer that was belied by her smile during one song that gave "a very detailed account" of puking in a significant other's house.

Their songs are unpredictable, jazzy, the type that require endless practice and substantial chops, and Climenhage punctuates it all with busy, persnickety rim hits that decorate the songs and underscore the youthful malaise of songs like "She Can Wait."

Guitar-driven indie rock can be boring, but the Lonely Parade bend and twist conventions to create inventive, compelling songs that evince a fluency in, and love for, a wide span of musical genres, often in the same song. Punk, jazz, psych, garage, surf — the Lonely Parade pull from a host of influences, and the result is captivating.