Concert Review: TRUST @ The WECC

TRUST

The West End Cultural Centre

Winnipeg, MB 

February 28, 2013

Robert Alfons of TRUST 

Photo by K. Protulipac

The 2012 debut record from TRUST, a project of Toronto’s Robert Alfons was a sleeper hit on Canadian label Arts and Crafts.  The dense, synth-driven pieces that made up TRST paralleled fellow-Torontonian’s Crystal Castles, but dropped the demonic shard sounds of Alice Glass in favor of Alfons’s deep-nasal vocals.

Local act Kindest Cuts kicked off the show with a set that evoked a shattering, dark Depeche-Mode vibe.  Second on the bill was Brooklyn-based ERAAS who served up muffled, preaching vocals overtop a foundation of deep bass guitars and sullen, emotive electronics.

Finally, came TRUST. Backed with a drummer and a synth player, leader Alfons hopped around the stage front, and it was evident the lead man was certainly immersed - if not totally present - into his tight set that rarely deviated from the actual sound on the record. And, though compelling, Alfons exhibited minimal crowd interaction other than infrequent and meek gratitude, and he often darted to the side stage between song breaks.

The main set featured almost all cuts from the debut – the peak being the post-bridge from TRST finisher ‘Sulk’  complemented by the smokes and duel-pulsating strobes on stage.  The fair-sized WECC crowd was even treated to a three-song encore that included a new tune, suggesting that TRUST has even more quality music on the way.

- Will Burton