Babe Corner @ The Pearl -- February 01, 2024

You know when you like a band, yet somehow just keep missing their shows? I can finally cross Babe Corner off that list. While I have seen them in a ‘free outdoor show’ setting, I somehow haven’t seen them in a proper venue (just missing tickets for their sold out album release show last year) until their headlining show last night at The Pearl.

I got there a bit late, missed the first act of the night, doohickey cubicle, arriving partway through Layten Kramer, as he and his band were rocking out with “Unravelled” off his latest EP, Eye to Eye.
From there they kept up the energy with “Strange Displacement” before capping off with “Slow The Time / Bend The Light”, a 7+ minute tune that ebbed and flowed, growing to a clattering guitar solo, before calming back down for band member Dougal Bain to pull out his violin.

Soon after, the members of Babe Corner took the stage; Lindsay Sjoberg on guitar & vocals, Haley Blais on bass, Lilli Carr on guitar, keyboardist Alli Deleo, and drummer Jessica Jones.
With their nostalgic dream pop (or “babe core”) sound, they hit most of their new album Crybaby, from the chill “Bianca” to the grittier “Summer Slaughter”. Lindsay’s soft vocals drifted through the room, often joined by harmonies from the rest of the band, a prime example being “Caught on the Double”.

Lindsay also joked with the crowd, and her bandmates, between songs, telling stories or trying to get everyone in the room to march to the rollicking “Bone Dry Dunes” — my favourite off the new album, and a highlight of the set, as well as the absolute earworm “Cigarette”, another song rich with harmonies.

After the melancholic title track, “Crybaby”, they ending the set with Chris Vanderkooy joining on guitar for the breeze & charming “They Don’t Love You (Like I Do)”. But of course, they were back for one more song, their recent collaboration with doohickey cubicle, the synthy and dancey “Corner Babe” to cap off the night.

Crybaby was definitely one of my favourite local albums from last year, so I was very happy to (finally) see them at a proper venue last night.

Haley Blais (and friends) @ The Wise Hall -- April 14, 2023

Ever since Haley Blais released her debut album Below the Salt a few years ago, I've been wanting to catch her live, but aside from a pandemic-era livestream from the Fox and a quick set at Constellation last year, I hadn't really got the chance. So I was happy to fix that this past Friday, with a show at the Wise Hall. It was a rare seated show for that venue, but during her set Blas quipped “I refuse to believe we can enjoy anything standing up” and I can't disagree with that.

Unfortunately I ran late and missed the opener, Troll Dolly, arriving shortly before Haley Blais took the stage with her backing band, comprised of a few familiar faces; Sam Lynch, Lindsay Sjoberg, Graham Serl, and Alex Maunders.

They started off the set with the chilled out “Rob the Original”, and weaved into a few more from her current catalogue, including “Survivor's Guilt” -- with the first guest of the evening, star of the video Jake Pascoe coming out to dance & accompany on the vibraslap -- and “Firestarter”, my favourite from her debut album, a song that starts slow and soft, building to a crescendo with Blais' voice sending chills and giving goosebumps.
Throughout the night we were also teased with a number of new songs from an upcoming album, like the groovy “Matchmaker” and “Cabin”, a more rocking number that once again showed off Haley's vocal range.

Leading up to the show, Blais had promised ‘special guests’, and delivered when she ceded the mic to her friends and peers, to put the spotlight on them. Mid-way through, Lindsey took centre stage with other members of Babe Corner out for the title track off their recently released album Crybaby; Maunders played a track from his solo project; and Dan Mangan surprised everyone with “Just Know It”, all backed by Blais on vocals.
Then near the end of the set, Blais brought out Jonathan Anderson and David Vertesi to play on one of her new songs “Reset Button”, before Vertesi went into into one of his songs, “My Parents House”, and finally Sam Lynch performed a beautiful new song that I didn't catch the name of.

After a good hour and a half, they brought the set to a big finish with a singalong to “Coolest Fucking Bitch in Town”, Blais conducting the crowd to chant the lyrics as the song wrapped up. But the sold out hall wanted one more song, and Haley indulged, coming out alone to start an older track “Small Foreign Faction”, before the rest of the band joined her and everyone let loose to cap off the night.

Leading up to the show, I had no idea who or what the “and friends” would entail, so the format of the show was a very pleasant surprise, and made for one of the most unique and collaborative shows I've seen in some time. It's rare that you see someone use almost a third of their set to let others shine, and the talent on the stage had the sold out hall rapt all evening. The crowd was (mostly) silent in all the right places, hanging on everyone — especially Haley Blais' — every note.

setlist
Rob the Original
Survivor's Guilt
Matchmaker
Be Your Own Muse
Firestarter
Crybaby (Babe Corner)
This Time (Maunders)
Just Know It (Dan Mangan)
[New song?]
Body
Reset Button
My Parents House (David Vertesi)
[New Song] (Sam Lynch)
Cabin
Coolest Fucking Bitch in Town
[encore]
Small Foreign Faction