This may come off as a practice in nepotism, but let’s put aside what I do for a living for a moment and focus on what’s important; John O’Regan’s one man pop project Diamond Rings is stopping at the Mercury Lounge this evening and you’ll want to be in attendance.
Coming from the indie hotbed that is Toronto, Canada, Diamond Rings rises from a creative community that has produced longstanding greats like Broken Social Scene, Do Make Say Think and Metric. O’Regan conceived Diamond Rings in the summer of 2009 as a side project to his band The D’Urbervilles and quickly garnered attention due to its massive crossover appeal and infectious live performances.
O’Regan’s look is not your typical indie rock garb; he’s got more of a shock and awe style. He’s a tall drink of water and leaves little to the imagination with his skin tight jeans and small basketball jerseys. He’s usually wearing some colorful fingerless gloves and completes the Canadian tuxedo with a white jean jacket. The cherry on top is his My So Called Life style haircut with shaved sides and a long blonde streaked top that whips around as he rips through tunes off his Pitchfork approved debut Special Affections, (Secret City). I know what you might be thinking, and no, this isn’t a bad Semi Precious Weapons dream – Diamond Rings is the real deal complete with unicorn stage props.
While his look may sound like every tenth kid you pass on Ludlow Street on any given Saturday night, don’t let it deter you. Diamond Rings is the real deal. As androgynous as his look may be, his sound is equally difficult to classify as it tows the line between powerhouse electro-pop songs to jagged punk anthems, and O’Regan’s somewhat haunting baritone voice is the glue that binds it all together. He knows he’s a star and he’s just waiting for the rest of us to realize.
Check out the video below for his latest single “Something Else” and get to Mercury Lounge for his early show (6:30pm doors) with Austra.
