If roaring and melodic vocals, sad lyrics and a good sense of humour is your thing, then you would love a Medium Build concert. Nick Carpenter and his one-man ‘Medium Build’ band graced a room of about 50 people with his amazing voice on Thursday evening in Toronto, Ontario as part of a series of gigs he’s doing with Universal Music Canada. The 32-year-old Alaskan native singer/songwriter has opened for artists such as Lewis Capaldi and Finneas. With a record deal under Slow Play / Island Records, he is now taking his talents on the road this May to perform his next studio album. 

The great thing about performances in smaller rooms is the artist’s ability to connect with the audience and Carpenter didn’t miss a beat. Walking out with yellow flower earrings and bright pink shoes, the tone was set immediately, compensating for the ultra-sad lyrics he proceeded to sing. He warmed up the crowd with his experiences in Montreal, Canada, and Saskatchewan before landing in Toronto. Although he said his jokes never really quite stuck in Montreal because of the native French speakers, they were doing numbers for the Toronto crowd. From his introduction alone, with just him and his guitar (and lots of haze), he set up the rest of the hour’s performance beautifully. 

Performing a few unnamed tracks off his new album and some fan favourites such as, “In my Room,” “99 Corolla” and his most recent lead single, “Crying over U” which came out January 25th. Nick’s music translates into a questioning of purpose and calls for not only self-reflection but a reflection of everything around us from the things we consume to the people we love. Lyrics such as, “In my room, I am sacred, I am safe, I am free. In my room I get to dream up who I really wanna be,” are examples of the desire for freedom and non-conformity that is prevalent in his tracks. 

The crowd was silent hearing what Nick had to see but also observing the passion behind every guitar strum and every rhythmic yell. The passion that he performs alongside his meaningful lyrics brings the whole performance together. Whether performing for 100 people or 1000, every person in that room is guaranteed to feel and relate to what Nick is saying. 

He described the chaos behind his band logo as a direct reflection of what was going on in his mind and the honesty that he showed drew the crowd in and kept us engaged for the full hour. His music is tranquil and real and that is what makes Medium Build a class act. Talented, funny, cool earrings, what more could a person ask for? In all honesty, I was probably spoiled last night for being about to go to an intimate show like that but any show of Medium Build is a good one. So, if you’re in the mood to have a good time along with a bit of (needed) self-reflection, go see Medium Build live at a show in your city. I promise it’s worth it. 

Words Dream Homer