The Starlight is a kind of permanent fixture for any Waterloo student who takes to live performances by indie rock acts. On Thursday November 5, The Most Serene Republic and Meligrove Band took the stage there.
I recall hearing the Mississauga-based Meligrove Band’s Planets Conspire in a high school cafeteria four years ago, which remains their most recent record. I recognized the lead singer walking on to the stage because he looked the same as he did when they performed at The Mod Club a few years ago; like this, on the left:

Meligrove Band
My favourite moments of their set were their old songs – it was a conspiracy between the familiarity of the old album and the catchy hooks that made it perfect for live performance. With the new songs, Meligrove for me became a band with greater depth and thoughtfulness that reached beyond those hooks. I’ve never owned any of their albums, but when their new one is released, I might.
Headliners The Most Serene Republic took stage shortly after Meligrove Band’s finale with “Our Love Will Make The World Go Around”. The first time I listened to this Milton-based band was on an Arts & Crafts 2006 compilation. The Most Serene Republic recently released their third studio release … And The Ever Expanding Universe. It has an aesthetic that is unmistakably Arts & Crafts, much like their previous works. As such, the music has the property of being intensely uplifting and at the same time mellow, which translated very well into performance that night.
The band enjoyed themselves during the set and put on a very cohesive show. Adrian Jewett made clear his beliefs on the rate of consumption of marijuana in Waterloo (very high). He also stressed the significance of Starlight’s disco ball:

Adrian Jewett
The exchanges between the vocal lines of Emma Ditchburn and Adrian Jewett somehow had the effect of creating unity amongst audience and performers. Naturally, the new record was the focal point of the evening and the crowd was very receptive. There were cheers all around when the band started up their new single,“Heavens to Purgatory”.

The Most Serene Republic & Crowd
The Most Serene Republic played “In Places Empty Spaces” for their encore to finish up the night. The band began it slowly and it built itself up. It reached through the crowd and lifted them up with its crescendos. When it ended so did the night, and we were gently let back down.










