Despite having met and interviewed them, I hardly recognized the guys of The Darcys when they came on stage at The Horseshoe Tavern on Friday night. It’s not so much that they physically looked different (although I did notice that lead singer Jason Couse’s beard had grown sufficiently scruffier since last time I saw him), but more that they seemed to completely transform when they hit the stage.

Incredibly nice and goofy guys (Couse, drummer Wes Marskell, bassist Dave Hurlow and guitarist Mike le Riche) in person, they are mesmerizing when performing. They transport themselves and their audience to a place of intensity with their intricate, emotional, and haunting music. The band clearly took the event, their CD (which can be downloaded for free here) release show, as a chance to prove to everyone in Toronto why they deserve the attention they’re getting. It seemed to me, though, that it wasn’t so much about living up to the hype (and the fact that the bar was completely jammed shows there was, in fact, a lot of hype) as it was about completely surpassing it. They came with the intention to conquer, and if you ask me, they succeeded.

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