Incense wafts off the stage and Ariel begins playing in the candelabra glow. Layers of drums, guitars, keyboards, and, more interestingly, tablas, a djembe and a sitar blend uniquely, while frontman Ali Jafri sings, mostly in English, with an occasional song in Urdu.

I've been following Ariel since the band began performing in the mid 90's and it's one of my favorite local live acts. Experts at creating the perfect measure of gothic ambiance in any venue without devolving into camp, the band continues to finesse its sound adding new dynamics, and to my enchantment, more drums.

This is Ariel's second live performance with Yakudo, Japanese Taiko drummers who jump into the fray about halfway through the set and take the sound into an even more satisfyingly eclectic dimension. Dramatically synchronized, the Taiko drummers are mesmerizing. The addition of traditional Japanese drums to Ariel's already unusual goth/industrial/South-East Asian combination builds into this huge tableau of sound. . . and suddenly stops - leaving me disappointed in the subdued Tuesday night crowd when there's no encore.

With new keyboardist Glenn Love clearly adding new energy to the tight-knit group and work on a new album underway, watch for more from Ariel later this year

visit our events section for current and future concerts and events in Toronto

what f&*%*#g community???

visit the culture section for stories, poetry, art and photos submitted by local denizens