Broken Social Scene with The Rural Alberta Advantage @ Commodore Ballroom -- September 22, 2022

September 23, 2022 by Kirk Hamilton in live shows

It seems like the last few years have seen a lot of anniversary celebrations for albums, which -- aside from making me feel old -- has been a wild trip back through time. Case in point, Broken Social Scene struck out on tour to celebrate their breakthrough 2002 release, You Forgot It In People. Their first stop? The Commodore Ballroom here in Vancouver for a pair of shows.

Opening the night was The Rural Alberta Advantage — and fun story, when I was on vacation earlier this year, I happened to be in Los Angeles the same night as their show there, so this was my second time seeing the trio this year, in two different countries.

They started with "CANDU" off the latest EP The Rise, with Nils Edenloff’s distinct vocals ringing off songs like “Bad Luck Again” and the tempestuous “Tornado ‘87”.

Mid-way through the set, drummer Paul Banwatt and keyboardist Amy Cole took a break for Nils to perform a song on his own, one written for his wife (before they were married five days previous to this show!) "Ten Feet Tall".

Once the band returned, they slowly built back the intensity with "White Lights" before a few more, and ending off the set with the explosive "Terrified".

Not long after, a full compliment of Broken Social Scene members took the stage; Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Charles Spearin, Andrew Whiteman, Sam Goldberg, and Ariel Engle, along with Evan Cranley (of Stars), and special guest drummer Loel Campbell (of Wintersleep) a last-minute fill-in on this tour for Justin Peroff. Throughout the night members changed instruments, running around stage, with Drew and Canning, and occasionally Whiteman taking lead on the male vocals, and Engle doing all the female vocals.

As a celebration of You Forgot It In People, they started off the set with "KC Accidental" and then went through the first half of the album, including the chilled out "Looks Just Like The Sun", tropical instrumental “Pacific Theme”, and a raucous "Cause = Time". At one point, Drew said he was inspired to not just play the album front to back after seeing Alanis Morissette live, and immediately went into a few songs from their self-titled: "7/4 Shoreline" and "Fire Eye'd Boy", a pair of crowd-pleasing singalongs.

After dedicating "Hug of Thunder" to Gord Downie, coming up to the fifth anniversary of his passing, a gorgeous version of “Lover’s Spit”, and soaring “World Sick”, they thanked everyone again and launched into “Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)”, a cathartic song, especially with Drew encouraging the crowd to just scream everything from the last couple years out.

That was supposed to be the encore break, but as everyone was leaving the stage, Drew didn’t move and just waved everyone back for one last song, one that was conspicuously absent from a set celebrating You Forgot It In People. With Ariel Engle taking main vocals once more, and dedicating it to every woman who was ever in the band, they capped off the night with an incredibly emotional singalong to perennial favourite, “Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl” to send everyone home happy.

A few times during the show, while the band was paused between songs, the crowd just erupted; it was the first show on Broken Social Scene’s tour, so the members on stage were all visibly emotional to be back at it, and the crowd was more than happy to welcome them. How could we not with a pair of bands like this?

BSS setlist
KC Accidental
Stars & Sons
Almost Crimes
Looks Just Like the Sun
Pacific Theme
Cause = Time
7/4 Shoreline
Fire Eye'd Boy
Shampoo Suicide
I'm Still Your F
Hug of Thunder
Lovers Spit
World Sick
Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)
[encore]
Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl

RAA setlist
CANDU
Bad Luck Again
Tornado 87
3 Sisters
10ft Tall
White Lights
Frank AB
Brother
Terrified

Portugal. The Man & Broken Social Scene @ Deer Lake Park -- 09/01/18

September 06, 2018 by Kirk Hamilton in live shows

It was a little over a week ago that I sat with about 75 other people in The China Cloud, watching Kevin Drew play an intimate acoustic show. And this past weekend it was almost the exact opposite, with Broken Social Scene co-headlining Deer Lake Park alongside Portugal. The Man. Despite not being super familiar with Portugal. The Man, I had heard they're a fun band to see live, plus I was also excited for the band starting off the whole evening.

That opening act being Vancouver's own Youngblood -- who I had coincidentally also seen play a bit of an intimate show, just days after Drew, at Blue Light Studio. They played a short set, but definitely got the crowd excited, as a growing group gathered at the front of the stage to dance. They played a handful of songs, like the title track to their last EP Feel Alright, and ones from their upcoming release, including the dark and sexy "Better When You're Close", Alexis Young's voice sailing through the park.
I said last week that Young has a captivating stage presence and that absolutely translated to the large scale, and I would not be at all surprised to see them playing Deer Lake again in the future.
As an aside, this was the band’s last show as Youngblood… but don’t worry, it’s only because they have recently changed their name to Blonde Diamond (no doubt to make it much easier to find them).

Shortly after, the stage filled with Broken Social Scene, seven members large with a few others rotating on & off throughout the set. They kicked off with the older "Cause = Time", before going into crowd favourite "7/4 (Shoreline)" and the newer "Protest Song", which featured the stellar vocals of Ariel Engle. Engle, Kevin Drew, and Brendan Canning switched off on main vocals during the set, with just about everyone else contributing as well, as members rotated around and switched instruments; drummer Justin Peroff may have been the only one to be in the same spot all night.
Highlights included the soaring "World Sick", "Hug of Thunder" with its simmering intensity, and "Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl", where they invited out Katrina & Andrea from Belle Game to help out on vocals, for a song that gave me chills (unrelated to the setting sun). It’s one of my personal favourite songs, and clearly I’m not alone with the amount of people singing along.
They were about to end off with the boisterous "Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)", but when they figured there was time for one more, burst into "KC Accidental" to cap off their set.
I've seen BSS at least half a dozen times now, and they never fail to put on an emotional and impactful show, and Deer Lake Park is a near-perfect setting for them.

Before Portugal. The Man hit the stage, Zach Carothers came out and talked a bit about how they were from Alaska and wanted to respect the first people here, and not content with merely acknowledging they were playing on unceded territory, they brought out some members of the Squamish Nation, for a nice little ceremony before getting started.

From there, the giant screen behind them blinked to life, and up popped the following message:

It was that point which I decided to stick around for the whole thing, because at the very least I knew I was going to like their sense of humour, and stage show. And, true to their words, they were pretty silent for the first hour of the show -- and even then, didn't talk too much, just the usual 'Thanks For Coming' and all that.
They started off their set with a video clip of Bevis and Butthead ripping into their video for "Feel It Still" before launching into some riffs from "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and a bit of "Another Brick In The Wall", then transitioning into their own song, "Purple, Yellow, Red and Blue".

From there, their songs flowed into each other, a lot more raw than I was expecting from mostly knowing the single. Standouts included the anthemic "Live In The Moment", the bombastic "Holy Roller (Hallelujah)", and "Atomic Man", which featured a little bit of "Gimme Shelter" slipped in (a few songs featured bits and pieces of covers throughout the night).

As with the first graphic on screen, the band had a great sense of humour and self-awareness throughout the set, with the screen displaying messages like (Real Bands Don't Need Singers) right before an instrumental song, the courteous notice (We are Portugal. The Man. Just making sure you’re at the right concert) and, near the end of the set, (Don’t Worry, we are playing that song right after this) before the insanely catchy single "Feel It Still". Even during that song, the words (Your mom loves this song) flashed on screen as an entire lawn full of fans sang and danced along.

They didn’t bother with the encore fake-out, saying they were just going to stay and play right up until the curfew, ending off the set with "Sleep Forever" which wrapped up with a medley of Beatles songs, "Live & Let Die" and "Hey Jude", leaving the crowd singing along one last time.

All in all, it was an incredibly fun show from a solid lineup of local, Canadian, and international musicians, and the perfect way to kick off the beginning of the end of summer.

Kevin Drew & Belle Game @ The China Cloud -- 08/23/18

August 24, 2018 by Kirk Hamilton in live shows

In 2015, Dan Mangan began a house concert network for artists on his label, Madic Records. In the three years since, that has evolved into Side Door, co-founded by Laura Simpson, meant to connect artists & show hosts for a "direct-to-audience gigging economy".
They’ve put on hundreds of shows across the country and into the States, with the latest being an intimate, acoustic night with one of the founders of Broken Social Scene, Kevin Drew. And joining Kevin was Andrea Lo, Katrina Jones, and Adam Nanji from Belle Game as his backing band. This all came together for about 75 people at The China Cloud in Vancouver.

Kevin Drew started off chatting and joking with the crowd, setting a loose tone for the night as he started with "Broke Me Up" off his first solo album, then went back to a Broken Social gem, "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement (A Better Day)", as he deftly wove through his musical history, captivating every single person in the room. Definitely a pleasant surprise, as I wasn’t sure if he would just be playing from his solo albums or not.

After a few more songs, including b-side "All My Friends Are Magazines", Drew let Belle Game take centre stage. They recounted their first meeting before going into "Spirit", a song Kevin provided backup vocals for. I've still never seen belle Game perform where I haven't been absolutely blown away by the power of Andrea's voice, and that was especially true in this smaller setting, as they played a couple more songs while Drew took a brief break from the stage.
Kevin then returned, giving Andrea, Adam, and Katrina a short break, as he did an incredible acoustic rendition of one of my favourite songs, "It’s All Gonna Break" which was not only the highlight of the night, but the year so far.

As the set wound to an end, he jumped on the piano side-stage to play "Good Sex", joking about how it was pretty much a re-write of "Lover’s Spit", which of course followed. At that point he poked a bit of fun at friend, sometimes-BSS member, and Stars singer Torquil Campbell... who hollered back from the crowd. Drew called him up and they bantered for a few minutes before launching into an impromptu song Torquil wrote (but never recorded) after the passing of his father.

They ended the night with Drew talking about Gord Downie, and his experience co-writing songs off the Secret Path project, before he and Campbell sang "Here, Here and Here" for the perfect ending to a beautiful night.

Some of these songs I had only ever seen in venues ten times the size with three times as many people on stage, so seeing them in this setting was almost unreal. It wasn’t a "show" or a "concert" or a "gig", it was a group of friends gathering to share their love of music.

setlist
Broke Me Up [KD]
Ibi Dreams Of Pavement (A Better Day) [BSS]
All My Friends Are Magazines [BSS]
Safety Bricks [KD]
Spirit [BG]
I Want Nothing [BG]
Oh I [BG]
It’s All Gonna Break [BSS]
Good Sex [KD]
Lover’s Spit [BSS]
A Song for Torquil’s Father [TC]
Here, Here and Here [Gord Downie cover]

Broken Social Scene w/ Belle Game @ Commodore -- 10/20/17

October 22, 2017 by Kirk Hamilton in live shows

It's been half a dozen years years since we last heard from Toronto collective Broken Social Scene, but this year they gathered all the members from accross the globe and from different bands to make the brand new album, Hug of Thunder. And while the tour didn't feature everyone on the album (at this point in their respective careers, that would pretty much be impossible to pull off) it did feature the core members, for two nights at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.

With them they brought Vancouver's own Belle Game, who they had befriended on a writing retreat a few years back. The foursome of Andrea Lo, Katrina Jones, Adam Nanji, and Alex Andrew hit the stage with an instrumental intro, before going into "Up Again" from the new album, Fear/Nothing. They played almost exclusively from that, with the intense song "The River" being the only exception, as Andrea Lo's powerful voice filled the Commodore. No matter how many times I've seen them live (and it's been a few) her voice never fails to leave me in awe. Stand-out off the new album, "Spirit" was another highlight as they wrapped up their all-too-short set with the intense "I Want Nothing". No doubt it won't be long before they're back at the Commodore for a show of their own in the near future.

Not long after that, the the eight(!) members of Broken Social Scene filled the stage, roll call including Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, Sam Goldberg, Ariel Engle, and of course, Justin Peroff, Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew. Just about every member was on double- (or triple-) duty as well, switching off instruments throughout the set, and all sharing vocals.

They started with a couple throwbacks, "KC Accidental" and the upbeat "7/4 Shoreline" before Drew dedicated the set to Gord, and going into "Halfway Home" from the new album.

Other highlights from the new album included "Protest Song", which Engle stepped in for on vocals; in fact, it was just after someone from the crowd shouted for Emily Haines, but Kevin Drew was quick to shift the spotlight to Ariel Engle. And if you've ever seen AroarA you know how much of a vocal powerhouse she is. A little later she did joke that they really did need a few more women on stage, and invited both Andrea and Katrina from Belle Game to sing on a song each; "Stay Happy" and "Hug of Thunder" respectively.

Along with the new material, they went through some old favourites as well, Whiteman taking lead vocals on "Fire Eye'd Boy", the fast version of "Major Label Debut" getting the crowd jumping on the bouncy floor, and Drew getting right up to the crowd for "Texaco Bitches".
The set came to a close with one of my personal favourites, the epic "It's All Gonna Break" as they wove through the bombastic highs and simmering lows of the song, building to the anthemic ending, with each member standing at the front of the stage, raising their guitars to the sky for the triumphant ending.

At that point most of the band took off, but Drew & Canning stayed, Kevin stating this was the encore break, but they didn't want to leave the stage, they wanted to be with the crowd. And as everyone else returned (and played a spontaneous funky groove, at Canning's request) Kevin was true to his word and got into the crowd for a singalong to "Lover's Spit" as he hugged and high fived his way through the dance floor. Eventually he made his way back on stage for one last song, once more inviting both Andrea and Katrina back on stage for another one of my absolute favourites (along with the rest of the sold out venue, by the reaction) "Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl" as they lulled the crowd to a perfect ending to the show.

Photos: Christine McAvoy

setlist
KC Accidental
7/4 Shoreline
Halfway Home
Protest Song
Fire Eye'd Boy
Texico Bitches
Stars & Sons
World Sick
Stay Happy
Hug of Thunder
Sweetest Kill
Skyline
Almost Crimes
Major Label Debut (Fast)
It's All Gonna Break
(encore)
Lover's Spit
Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl