Dear Rouge is Good As Gold at the Bronson Centre

Dear Rouge rocked the house at the Bronson Centre on Friday, bringing their catchy riffs back to Ottawa.

Lead singer Danielle McTaggart gave an engaging performance, urging the crowd to raise their arms, to jump as in the Phoenix-esque “Best Look Lately”, or to sing the chorus with her. The band’s remarkable “Edge of Seventeen” cover took Stevie Nicks to the club, having the crowd sing the “ooh, ooh, ooh”s as synth loops played in the background.

In the opener “Wicked Thing”, Danielle’s gentle falsettos and the band’s ethereal synth effects set up a big chorus and warm guitar riffs. The light show worked well for both moods, showering the band in pensive blue during the quieter moments, and bright flashes in every direction when everyone started to jump. Some of the lights shone past Danielle and her husband/band mate Drew, projecting their shadows onto the wall.

In “Kids Wanna Know”, Danielle raised her hands to the sky in a look of pure bliss as she sang, but it wasn’t long before she broke into a smile—she was having too much fun. She gave a dynamic, passionate performance, her hips gyrating as she danced across the stage. Moving onstage in a crop top and the world’s shiniest bell-bottoms, she would crouch in front of the stage, reaching out to tousle the hair of audience members. In their hit “Black to Gold”, she came onstage in a cloak covered in reflective material and sang above a wind machine. A light lit her from below as she sang, her fluttering cloak making her seem angelic.

Drew McTaggart’s baritone singing provided a nice counterpoint to Danielle’s higher range. He told a story about how they played a show in Ottawa to four people in 2013, but they found out that day that one of their songs had been put on rotation at Live 88.5. “You guys broke Dear Rouge!” he told the appreciative Ottawa crowd.

It’s hard for the rhythm section of a dance rock band to stand out, since keeping in perfect time with the electronic effects limits improvisation, but the backing band made it work. The bassist’s riffs often made the song, and he switched seamlessly to setting up looping beats or playing keyboard as needed. The drummer played in perfect time with the beats and Drew’s guitar work, which is exactly what he had to do. The men helped the songs sound much like the singles did on radio, except richer as the synthesized atmospherics filled the room.

The band’s openers were solid picks, matching some aspects of their sound. Ellevator’s indie pop provided the musical equivalent of a warm hug, singing songs about lovers meeting in the park, personal struggles and fights with friends. Singer Nabi Bershe’s transcendent vocals, the rich guitar work and atmospheric synth effects came together to give their music a full sound. Modern Space provided more danceable rock, bringing charming vocal harmonies to sugary pop choruses as singer Sean Graham grooved across the stage. 

Dear Rouge is a band of contrasts: fragile falsettos and more forceful singing; quiet verses and thumping bass grooves; thoughtful pauses and wild dance beats. It all comes together because there’s a certain ecstasy to a ballad surrounded rich synth chords and also to get-up-and-jump dance riffs. Dear Rouge flows from one rich sound to the other, making tranquility and excitement feel like natural companions.

Written by Aaron Nava