The New Pornographers rolled into town for a WinterCity concert last night, on what felt like the coldest day of the winter (-22C windchill). The crowd of several hundred brave souls clustered together for warmth in a fashion that would make the Emperor Penguins of Antarctica proud.

Neko Case was not with the band last night (she's in Australia wrapping up some solo dates), but Kathryn Calder (AC Newman's long-lost niece and Immaculate Machine lead singer/keyboardist) picked up the slack admirably for the female side of the contingent.

They played favourites from all 3 albums, including The Slow Descent into Alcoholism, which prompted a long and somewhat sarcastic speech from Newman warning about the dangers of drinking. The F-bomb was even dropped at a particularly cold and windy time of the night. This incident actually sparked a humourous impromptu funk jam and sing-along with the crowd.

The set was short but sweet, and I can't blame them for ending it early after 45 minutes or so, because some of the guys were playing their instruments without gloves like true champions. It was cold, windy, and we had to warm up inside City Hall for a good ten minutes afterward, but it's hard to complain when such a solid act comes to town for a free show. Ending on a good note, AC Newman promised to return to Toronto with a new album's worth of songs later this year.

Photo by BlogTO Photo Pool contributor elainethebrain.