FOXTROTT Grand Theatre, Sudbury ON, August 11

Crushing, electronic beats and French horn aren't exactly readily associated with each other, but they might as well have been peanut butter and jelly Thursday night (August 11) as Marie-Hélène Delorme's FOXTROTT took to the stage for 45 killer minutes at Up Here Fest in Sudbury.
 
After a short instrumental interlude, Delorme and her backing band launched straight into "Shaky Hands," a lumbering giant of a song that made perfect use of its brassy and sassy accompaniment, and followed it with an exquisite one-two punch of "Colors" and "Mountains Rose High."
 
The set was populated almost exclusively by tracks from Delorme's debut FOXTROTT LP A Taller Us, a collection of peppy synths and texture-heavy percussion with an immediacy that sparks fire in a live setting. Delorme in particular was a dynamic presence, delivering her trademark soaring vocals and adding percussion and keyboards to tie everything together.
 
The highlight was undoubtedly "Driven," a bone-rattling mixture of live drums, beats and, of course, French horn, which created a rich rhythmic soundscape that delivered the biggest cheers of the night.

If there was a weak spot for FOXTROTT, it was perhaps their ballads; tracks like "Brother" sounded listless and uninspired compared to their more taut, upbeat material. Nevertheless, when Foxtrott were on their toes, they were a marvel to watch, and one of the best acts of Up Here Fest so far.

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