Dear Rouge with The Gay Nineties @ Commodore Ballroom -- April 10, 2025

Last year Dear Rouge released their fourth studio album, Lonesome High, and have finally returned to the Commodore Ballroom for a packed Vancouver show. And not only that, they brought some old friends along with them!

Opening the evening was the return of The Gay Nineties. The Vancouver band has been on hiatus for just a few years, but Parker Bossley, Bruce Ledingham, and Malcolm Holt were joined by Pascal Le Vasseur as they kicked off with a brand new song. And while they hit a couple older ones early, like the explosive “Hold Your Fire”, the bulk of the set was new material. Including an early standout for me, “Tidal Wave”, and a fun one called (and about) “Internet, Sex, and Drugs” which Parker teased might be their next single. They wrapped up with another old favourite, “Letterman”, which had everyone in the crowd that was ‘in the know’ singing along, proving they haven’t missed a beat. Their hook-filled indie rock was as sharp as ever*, and I’m very excited to hear more from them.
(*or as Christine put it: “The Nineties are back and they’re Gayer than ever!”)

After a break, the stage lights dimmed and a single figure stood on stage, as the rest of Dear Rouge joined Danielle McTaggart and launched into “Cutting Teeth”. Early on they addressed the recent passing of Drew McTaggart’s mother, asking everyone to remember someone that couldn’t be in the room, and dedicating “Stolen Days” to her.

The set had a great ebb and flow, building up the energy with the dark & moody “Black to Gold” and the raucous “Modern Shakedown” before exploding into “Meet Me at the Rio”, and then taking it back down with the acoustic “Live Through the Night” — which Drew introduced at the only song they’ve played at every single one of their shows. Danielle made a quick change into a sparkling, fringed jacked (with tambourine to match) and — after a false start to make sure someone in the crowd was safe — “Wicked Thing” started building back up, to the frenetic energy of “Tongues” and Danielle making a toast before showing off her moves with “Not Afraid to Dance”, segueing into a cover of the No Doubt classic “Hella Good”.

But it wasn’t just for that song; the whole night Danielle barely stood still. When she didn’t have a guitar in hand or behind the keys, she was strutting around the stage, and even into the audience. As “I Heard I Had” started, she grabbed a flashing light and jumped into the crowd, making her way from one side of the Ballroom to the other, singing to, at, & with everyone around her.

The band closed out the set with “Too Close to the Heat”, but were soon back for the encore. First Danielle returned alone, on the keys and behind a single light for the haunting “Lonesome High”. The rest of the band returned as they dedicated “Garbage” to anyone going through it, and capped off the night with their latest hit “Goon”.

Dear Rouge consistently puts on incredibly fun live shows, full of energy & spirit, and this night was no different. Add on the return of The Gay Nineties, and you have a fantastic night of Vancouver music.

Dear Rouge setlist
Cutting Teeth
Blow My Heart Up
Fake Fame
Stolen Days
Black to Gold
Wallpaper
Modern Shakedown
Meet Me at the Rio
Live Through the Night
Wicked Thing
The Show
Tongues
Not Afraid to Dance [ft Hella Good by No Doubt cover]
Selfish Love
I Heard I Had
Too Close to the Heat
(encore)
Lonesome High
Garbage
Goon

The Gay Nineties setlist
Treat Me Bad
Hold Your Fire
Turn Me On
Tidal Wave
Outside Looking In
Out of Touch
Okinawa
Empty Mansions
Internet, Sex, and Drugs
Letterman

JunoFest Vancouver @ Various Venues -- March 28-29, 2025

The JUNO Awards returned to Vancouver this year, and that means all week there have been celebrations of Canadian music, leading up to tonight’s big award show. But even more importantly, it means JUNOfest took place! Over the course of two days, hundreds of bands from all across the country piled into multiple venues around the city. I knew there was no chance of seeing everyone I wanted to — in the end I saw about half — but I did luck out when five of those bands were playing the same venue on the same night!

So on Friday night I made my way down to Red Gate where the night kicked off with Babe Corner. Their dreamy vocals and hazy guitars filled the room, from the incredibly catchy “Summer Slaughter” to the chill “Bianca”. After a pair of brand new songs “I'm Like U” and “Feels Like” — released earlier this month — they wrapped up the all-too-short set with the perpetually infectious “Cigarette”.

Following them was Tariq, who I haven’t seen perform live in some time; especially not since his sound changed from singer/songwriter to darker & heavier. Backed by some familiar faces (Robert Chursinoff, Peter Carruthers, and Adam Nanji) he played songs off his latest EP, Scroll Before You Sleep, like the slow-burn of “The Ballad of You and Me” and “Architect's Studio”, with Tariq strutting around the stage. After the new wave vibes of “Migration Song”, the set came to a close with a tempestuous finish for “Hail Storm”.

Next up was the performer I was most looking forward to over the weekend, as I had yet to see Toronto’s Housewife perform live. Brighid Fry took the stage alone for a solo set with a borrowed guitar (which broke earlier in the day, but luckily it was Kylie V to the rescue lending theirs). Fry’s indie-pop songs were no less catchy stripped down, as they launched into “Life Of The Party” off their new EP, Girl Of The Hour. Their voice rang through the room on “Fuck Around Phase” and they poured their heart out with “I Lied”. Even alone on stage, Fry was incredibly captivating, as they wrapped up the set with the “Matilda”, the most upbeat song you’ll hear about a stolen bike.

Immediately after Housewife finished, I ran down the street to the Anza Club to see Peter Dreams backed by MOONRIIVR. Sadly, I missed the first song or two, getting there as the July Talk singer launched in to “Keep Me Free” from his debut solo album. Throughout the set, Peter barely stood still, emoting on stage, and even hopping off to minge with the crowd up front, pleading at them to “Come Save Me”. His distinctive growl boomed throughout the room on “Forget Yer Name”, and he capped off the the beautiful song “Vigilant”, made even more heartwarming by his introduction.

Then it was back to Red Gate as Miesha and the Spanks hit the stage. Miesha Louie and drummer Sean Hamilton were clad in matching leopard print as they rocked out, starting the set off with “Lost Boys” and barely taking the foot off the gas. The duo blasted through songs that reverberated through your chest, like the summer jam “I Can’t Wait” and the vitriolic “So Mad”. After the raw “First Love, First Blood”, they ended with “Heart Is On Fire”, Sean bolting off stage with a cymbal stand, crashing it through the crowd before giving it to a friend & hopping back on the kit.

And finally, my Friday night ended with Skye Wallace, who kept up the energy with “There Is a Wall” — especially impressive for the midnight start time. Skye blasted through songs off their latest, The Act of Living, including the gritty “Tough Kid”, my fave from the album, “Momentum”, and their powerful voice asking “What Is Real?” Skye snuck a new song into the set called “Iced Tea” with a nice groove, and after a throwback to the raucous “Mean Song 2”, the band somehow cranked it up to another level for the closer, “Coal In Your Window”.

---

Unfortunately, I had the opposite luck on Saturday night, with almost everyone I wanted to see playing at the same time, so some hard decisions had to be made.

The first stop of the evening was the Hollywood Theatre, arriving just in time for ZADA. With her soulful, R&B inspired groove, ZADA stalked across the stage getting everyone moving with songs that ranged from the gentle “Sweet Things In Life” to the more upbeat “Snakes and Ladders”. Other standouts of the set were the simmering “Highways and Borders” and the final song of the set “Walls”.

Soon after, Hey Ocean! hit the stage, which was adorned with balloons, kicking off the set with “If I Were A Ship” and celebrating their 20 years as a band. From songs off their most recent album like “Sleepwalker” all the way back to “Liar”, they hit most of their catalogue, even slipping in a medley of songs off their breakthrough album It’s Easier To Be Somebody Else; including “A Song About California”, “Fish”, “Too Soon” and others. After one of my faves, “Jolene” they sped to the end (thanks to the show’s curfew) getting everyone to move with “Make a New Dance Up” and “Big Blue Wave”, and ending with a sweet singalong to an old favourite, “Alleyways”.

From there I raced across the city to the Cobalt, arriving just as Jo Passed took the stage. Their grungy, garage rock was a perfect fit for the venue, as the guitars shrieked and drums clattered, though a few times Jo’s voice seemed a little lost in the mix. The energy off the set ebbed and flowed nicely, as Jo only paused a couple times to thank everyone and joke between songs, before they finished with the latest single released earlier this year, “Weekend” building to a explosive end.

After them was Vancouver (by way of Argentina and Britain) band Bloom Effect. Their dreamy, shoegaze set washed over the crowd, as Jula Lafit sang in Spanish and English (but like Jo, occasionally the vocals were a bit low). I didn’t really know much about the band prior to the set; I had heard one of their singles last year & liked it, so when I saw they were on after Jo Passed, decided to stick around to check them out live. I enjoyed what I heard and will definitely have to check out their new EP, portents.

And with that, JUNOfest was done for me this year. After seeing 10 bands across four venues over two nights, I couldn’t have asked for a better celebration of Canadian music.

Franz Ferdinand @ Commodore Ballroom -- March 26, 2025

Aside from a festival appearance in 2022, it’s been over a decade since I last saw Glaswegian rockers Franz Ferdinand in a proper venue. So I was very excited to see a pair of shows pop up in Vancouver at the legendary Commodore Ballroom, in support of their brand new album, The Human Fear.

Thanks to some trivia commitments, I got to the venue after the opening band, Telescreens, making my way through the packed room a few minutes before the theme song from The Naked Gun blared over the speakers and Franz Ferdinand hit the stage.

Frontman Alex Kapranos was joined by Bob Hardy on bass, Dino Bardot on guitar, Julian Corrie on keys, and Audrey Tait on drums, as they launched into “Bar Lonely” from their new album, playing an hour and a half set that spanned their entire career. From their self titled debut for the cheeky “Dark of the Matinee” to the appropriately sinister “Evil Eye”, up to “Black Eyelashes” which saw Alex bust out a bouzouki for the rembetiko-influenced song.

Other highlights included the raucous dance number “Michael”, the entire crowd softly singing along with “Walk Away”, “Audacious” with its slick riff, and of course, their smash hit “Take Me Out”. As soon as the familiar intro started, the crowd lost it & were singing along to every word; I can't remember the last time I saw an audience so in sync with the song being played, and I got chills as the entire room bounced.

They parleyed that energy into the synth banger “Hooked” -- my early fave off the new album -- before closing the set with the winding twists & turns of “Outsiders”.

But of course, they were soon back out for the encore, first fielding a request for “Jacqueline” as Alex stood alone in a single spotlight before everyone else kicked in. As the show came to a close, Kapranos introduced each member of the band, as one-by-one they started their part in the “This Fire”. The stage lights turned red and everyone cut loose, crowd included, as Alex lead one last singalong, and even got the dance floor to crouch down low before springing up as the song erupted into its finish (elder millennial knees be damned).

I've seen Franz Ferdinand about a half dozen times over the years, and each & every time they amaze me with how great they are, how much energy the whole band puts forth, and how Alex has the entire crowd in the palm of his hand for the whole show. I already can’t wait to see them play again.

setlist
Bar Lonely
Dark of the Matinee
Night or Day
Walk Away
Evil Eye
Do You Want To
Audacious
No You Girls
Build It Up
Right Action
Black Eyelashes
Michael
Love Illumination
Take Me Out
Hooked
Outsiders
(encore)
Jacqueline
The Doctor
Evil and a Heathen
This Fire

Said the Whale @ Hollywood Theatre -- March 08, 2025

Last year at the 10th anniversary celebration for their album hawaiii, Said the Whale teased the idea of an annual show. And always a band of their word, last night they returned to the Hollywood Theatre for a show they jokingly dubbed “SaidCon”. The night started with the band coming on stage and introducing the openers… themselves! as they started with three 20 minute solo sets.

Jaycelyn Brown was up first, opening with “February 15”, her track off the band’s latest album Dandelion. She previewed a few more songs, including an absolutely gorgeous song called “Duet of the Cardinals” and “The Bird”, which she had been working on for ten years(!) before finally finishing last week. She teased wanting to release a solo album of her piano songs, but joked she just needed a deadline. Maybe next year’s show?

Next up was Ben Worcester with a selection of rarities. He played a couple that hadn’t been heard live before, as his voice soared over the room with songs like “Big Sky, MT” and the b-side “Brother, Cousin, Kin”, before wrapping up his portion by inviting Tyler up to join him on “This Winter I Retire Lyrics”.

Tyler Bancroft closed out the solo sets, first joined by Jaycelyn for “99 to the Moon” and then a song for his kids, “Level Best”. He also went deep into the band’s catalogue for some old favourites, “Howe Sounds” and “Live Off Lamb”, and joked that “Cascadia” hit a little different now considering… everything.

Bancroft started “This City's a Mess” on his own, but was slowly joined by Jaycelyn and Ben, as well as Lincoln Hotchen on bass and drummer Spencer Schoening as the song burst to a wild finish, and they smoothly transitioned into the main set, immediately rocking out with “Camilo (The Magician)”.

The crux of this show was a fan poll the band put up weeks before the show, so people attending could vote on what they heard. They hit the #1 song early with an old favourite, “Black Day in December”, while occasionally referring to the poll throughout the night. Especially when it came time for the deepest cut, singling out a friend who has requested the intricate “Fucks to Give” late in the set.

The requests spanned their whole oeuvre, from the singalongs of “B.C. Orienteering” and “False Creek Change” to the raucous “Honey Lungs” and even Spencer taking the spotlight to play acoustic guitar and sing for “Seasons”. Other highlights included a couple of my personal favourites, the gritty & raw “My Government Heart” which I don’t think I’ve heard from the band in some time, and “Love is Art / Sleep Through Fire”, a chill-inducing live-show staple.

After the infectious “I Love You”, Tyler declared he had no use for the performative obligatory encore anymore (which, thank you) and announced they had a couple left and that was it — but would be around after the show to hang and chat — before going into a rarely played classic “Taking Abalonia” and ending off with the joyous “Goodnight Moon”, the entire room singing along.

I feel like there are very few bands that do as much for (and with) their fans as Said the Whale. Not just the fact that this show happened, but the poll to vote for the setlist, and the promise to mingle with the crowd after the show — luckily there wasn’t another event tat evening, unlike last year. I’m not sure if they’re going to continue this as a yearly tradition, but if they are, I know I’ll be there.

setlists

Jaycelyn Brown
February 15
Cassiopeia
Duet of the Cardinals
The Bird

Ben Worcester
Narrows
[New Song]
Big Sky, MT
Brother, Cousin, Kin
This Winter I Retire Lyrics (with Tyler)

Tyler Bancroft
99 to the Moon (with Jaycelyn)
Level Best
Broken Man
Howe Sounds
Cascadia
Live Off Lamb
This City's a Mess

Full Band
Camilo (The Magician)
Step Into the Darkness
Black Day in December
B.C. Orienteering
I Will Follow You
My Government Heart
Wake Up
The Reason
Loveless
Honey Lungs
Seasons
False Creek Change
The Light Is You
The Ocean
Everything She Touches is Gold to Me
Show Me Everything
Love Is Art / Sleep Through Fire
Fucks to Give
I Love You
Taking Abalonia
Goodnight Moon

Odds and Limblifter @ Commodore Ballroom -- February 21, 2025

It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen either Odds or Limblifter play live, so when the 90s Canadian alt-rock powerhouses joined forces for a show at the Commodore, I knew it wasn’t one to be missed.

Limblifter was the first of the co-headlining bands, with Ryan Dahle and Megan Bradfield joined by some familiar faces, including Jo Passed on keys & guitar and drummer Jeremy Taggart (or Our Lady Peace fame). Starting off with one of Ryan’s solo songs, “Chop Chop”, the set ran through the group’s entire catalogue and more; from the lead track “Vicious” off their debut album, to the raucous “Haystack Rock” off their newest, 2022’s Little Payne. Ryan’s distinctive voice rang out on “Wake Up To The Sun”, which had the crowd singing along, and one of my favourite deep cuts, “Alarm Bells”, a simmering slow-burn off their album I/O.

Part way through the set, Ryan invited a friend on stage for a mini-Mounties reunion, as he was joined by Steve Bays to sing “Tokyo Summer”, and then he deferred to Jo Passed to play his latest single “Weekend”.

After another one of my favourites, “Ariel vs. Lotus”, Ryan introduced a pair of Big Shiny Tunes, first “Tinfoil” and then dipping into another one of his other bands, the absolute banger “Remote Control” from The Age of Electric to another big singalong. After about an hour, they appropriately wrapped up with “Perfect Day to Disappear” — though they would not quite disappear for the night.

That set on its own would have been completely worth the show, but of course I wasn’t going to miss Odds. Craig Northey, Doug Elliott, and Murray Atkinson were joined by Kurt Dahle on drums, and launched into a few fan favourites, starting with “Make You Mad” and “It Falls Apart”, before Craig handed over lead vocals to Murray for one of my favourites, “Eat My Brain”.

With their trademark harmonies and deceptively dark songs, their set spanned their 30+ year career, from their debut album Neopolitan with “King of the Heap” to “Not a Lot Goin' On” (the first 28 seconds recognisable as the theme to Corner Gas) all the way up to “Walk Among the Stars” from their latest album Crash the Time Machine, a song that Craig dedicated to their friend Gord Downie.

After going all the way back to their very first single, the bouncy “Love is the Subject”, they brough out an old friend, Pat Steward to fill in on drums for “Truth Untold” — a treat for me, because two of my personal favourite Canadian drummers just happen to be Kurt Dahle and Pat Steward.

They wrapped up the set with the infinitely catchy “Someone Who Is Cool” before coming back for the encore, joined by Ryan Dahle for “Radios of Heaven” and then the rest of Limblifter and Steve Bays for their recently released collab single, “Listening Party”.

Fittingly, they finished off with “My Happy Place” (the closing credits song to Corner Gas!) and had everyone take a bow… but then I witnessed what may have been the rare legitimate encore as the crowd clamoured for more and the band scrambled back on stage for one last tune, “Jack Hammer”.

Sometimes you’ll catch a band who you haven’t seen live in a while, and they just don’t live up to the memories. But not last night. Odds are as good as they ever were, to say nothing of Limblifter, who very nearly stole the show going on first! It was fun to be reminded of just how many great songs both bands have managed to put out through the years, and see that they can still rock the Commodore.

Odds setlist
Make You Mad
It Falls Apart
Eat My Brain
Satisfied
Write It in Lightning
Staring at a Blank Page
King of the Heap
Nothing Beautiful
Anything You Want
Walk Among the Stars
Crash the Time Machine
He Thinks He Owns You
Not a Lot Goin' On
Mercy To Go
Love is the Subject
Truth Untold
Someone Who's Cool
(encore)
Radios of Heaven
Listening Party
My Happy Place
(second encore)
Jack Hammer

Limblifter setlist
Chop Chop [Ryan Dahle song]
Vicious
Haystack Rock
Subtitles
Screwed It Up
Wake Up To The Sun
Irrational Anthems
Alarm Bells
Tokyo Summer [Mounties song]
Weekend [Jo Passed song]
Ariel vs. Lotus
Up For Walking
Tinfoil
Remote Control [Age of Electric]
Perfect Day to Disappear