Featuring Spoons, Gowan, and Glass Tiger
All Photo Credit: Tara Thompson
Spoons opened up night five of the Iceberg Alley Performance Tent. Hailing from Burlington, Ontario, Spoons got their start in 1980. According to their biography, Spoons “would help define the sound of pop and New Wave in the 80’s, with hits including ‘Nova Heart’, ‘Romantic Traffic’, ‘Old Emotions’ and ‘Tell No Lies’.
Their success continued throughout the 80’s, with their album Arias & Symphonies being named one of the 20 Most Influential Albums of The 80’s by The Chart Magazine. Their song ‘Nova Heart’ found its place in a book by Bob Mersereus, The Top 100 Canadian Singles of All Time.
Having their fame rise in the 80’s led to a resurgence of 80’s ‘retro’ music in the 90’s. After a brief hiatus, the band released a collection of greatest hits to solidify their spot as a part of the music scene in the mid-90’s. However, it wasn’t until 2010, over two decades since their last release, that Spoons members got together and released a collection of new songs with a modern twist on their classic sound. Singles such as ‘You Light Up’ and ‘Escape with You’ were released as singles as a part of this collection. Most recently, in 2021, Spoons released an album entitled Echos complete with a unique twist. This album is a collection of new music recorded by other incredible artists from around the world covering their favourite Spoons songs in their own unique way. Proceeds from this album are put towards the Unison Fund, to help those in the music community who are struggling due to the effect of Covid19 on the music industry.
During their set at Iceberg Alley, the band played some of their well-known hits including,
‘Arias and Symphonies’, ‘Old Emotions’, ‘Repeatable’, ‘Romantic Traffic’, ‘Tell No Lies’, and ‘Nova Heart’. Fans of the band were thrilled to hear such catchy tunes.
Next up was Gowan. With a career spanning over five decades, this multi-talented musician and performer is known for his electrifying live shows and soaring vocals. According to his biography, his “solo career is a thrilling musical journey filled with hit songs, captivating live performances, and endless creativity. With an unique blend of pop, rock, and classical influences, Gowan has carved out a musical style that is all of his own and captured the hearts of audiences around the world.”
Gowan’s 1985 album Strange Animal was his breakthrough in Canada. Even if you have no idea who Gowan is, I am sure that you know the hit single ‘(You’re A) Strange Animal’. Some other hits from this album include ‘A Criminal Mind’ and ‘Cosmetics’. Gowan went on to win a Juno for the music video for ‘A Criminal Mind’.
Other hits include: ‘Moonlight Desires’, ‘Dancing on My Own Ground’, and ‘Lost Brotherhood’. These songs helped to solidify Gowan’s place in Canadian music history with their catchy melodies, soaring vocals, and powerful instrumentation. Many of these hit tracks were played in the tent during his captivating set.
The headliner for the night was Glass Tiger. The band formed in Newmarket, Ontario in 1981 under the name Tokyo. After playing the bar scene for a few years, the band got their big break in 1985 after signing a worldwide recording deal with Capitol Records. The name change to Glass Tiger coincided with the release of their debut album, The Thin Red Line, released in 1986. This album solidified their place in Canadian music as it rocketed up the charts and became one of the fastest-selling debuts in Canadian music history. This album gave us hits such as ‘Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)’ and ‘Someday’. From that point, Glass Tiger went on to have many hits, including: ‘I’m Still Searching’, ‘Diamond Sun’, ‘Animal Heart’, ‘Rhythm of Your Love’, ‘My Town’, and ‘Touch of Your Heart’.
The band went on hiatus in 1993 to pursue other projects before reforming again in 2003. From that point, the band released 31 in 2018 to celebrate 31 years of making music together. This album included guest contributions from many musical talents, including Newfoundland’s own Alan Doyle on ‘My Song’. Glass Tiger released their fifth studio album in 2019 entitled 33.
Many of these well-known favourites were played under the tent. Glass Tiger also surprised the audience with some cover tracks, including ‘Right Here, Right Now’ by Jesus Jones and ‘Fire It Up’ by Johnny Reid. The band finished the night with ‘Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)’, which is always the first track that comes to mind when I hear the words, Glass Tiger.
With an impressive career including a Grammy nomination, being five-time award winners of both The Junos and Canadian Classic, and an induction into Canada’s prestigious Walk of Fame, I am sure that Glass Tiger will continue to entertain their fans in the future.
