By Kyle Francis
Just like the Paul Frank popped-collar douchebags trying to fit in at the Hop-in-Brew, Bedouin Sounclash stuck out like two hobos snogging in the daytime when they played the mainstage at the Calgary Folk Music Festival.
Both guitarist/vocalist Jay Malinowski and bassist Eon Sinclair seemed as though they knew they didn’t fit in, and were just really, really hoping that no one noticed. Unfortunately, their Zellers-commercial inflated egos had them playing a long set relative to other performers. Most people in the audience just politely waited for it to end until they played When the night feels my song–the only part of their set that didn’t induce yawning.
If the show had one saving grace, it was drummer Pat Pengelly. Unlike Malinowski and Sinclair, there was no overcompensation or frills in his performance, all while exhibiting a vastly superior talent. Though he certainly deserves better than his current bandmates, Pengelly sadly wasn’t enough to save the show.
Unlike hobos greasily sliding all over each other on a sunny park bench, Bedouin Soundclash didn’t even possess the car-accident horror factor that can sometimes turn heads and inadvertantly capture interest. Like a former jock-socialite popping up his collar as he hits on hipster girls, Bedouin Soundclash just sadly failed to be interesting enough.