Owen Pallett @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 05/28/15

The Road to Bestival ran through the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver the other night. The UK festival stretched its legs this year and will touch down in Toronto June 12th & 13th, and to drum up some hype they put on a series of free shows across the country, presented by Fido Mobile, with bands from the lineup. Vancouver was lucky enough to get Owen Pallett, and of course, there's no way I would miss seeing his immense talents at a venue like the Biltmore.

Hometown electronic band Gang Signs started the night out, beginning with a dark and percussive synth sound, the vocals split between Matea Sarenac and Peter Ricq (one half of Humans).
They spent most of the first song gazing downwards (perhaps at their shoes) for a darker and moody song, and I was a little weary that the whole set was going to be like that. But they slowly built the energy up as their set went on, building to more dancey and uptempo songs.
There were a couple in particular that I liked -- though didn't get the name of either -- but overall I thought it was just a good set, with some solid electro-pop. They were a perfectly good opening band.


To begin his set, Owen Pallett took the stage alone to start with some violin looping, but was quickly foiled by a faulty midi cable. However, after a quick anecdote of how he felt about playing a show for a cell phone company (in the end, he was okay with it) he got going with a few older songs from his Final Fantasy days, "That's When The Audience Died" and "This Lamb Sells Condos", putting on a clinic as he pieced each song together layer by layer.

The rest of the band, Rob Gordon and Matt Smith on drums and bass, came out after that, as they went into some newer material, starting off with the title track to his latest album In Conflict. Pallett danced back and forth between violin and keyboard, or both with his masterful looping, as his amazing voice soared over everything.
That is, until it came to an abrupt pause. As Chekhov knows, you can't introduce a broken cable in act one without it ruining the show later on, and about halfway through, "Soldier's Rock" came to a screeching halt. Owen explained the cable had been acting up all night, and while barely noticeable to the audience, he had to fix it to continue. This slowed the momentum a but while Matt vamped by awkwardly talking about some current events, but soon after they were right back into it, picking the energy right back up as "Tryst With Mephistopheles" built to a furious ending.

Owen played a few more songs alone before being rejoined by the band, and climaxing the main set with a song that has become one of my absolute favourites, the incredible "The Riverbed" driving with intensity and leaving everyone in the room breathless, before they closed with one last one, "The Great Elsewhere" from his Heartland album.

There wasn't even a pretense of an ending, though, as Owen left some reverb going, and he was soon back out alone for a few more songs. He once more engaged the audience, asking some questions and responding with his dry humour before going into a cover of Tori Amos' "Pretty Good Year". He finally decided on just two more songs, a pair of insane fan favourites, both getting huge reactions; "Many Lives → 49 MP" which had people singing/shouting along, and the ode to his Arcade Fire bandmates, "This Is the Dream of Win & Regine". Both songs, one again, gorgeously showing off his frantic bowing, and plucking of the violin's strings, for the perfect ending to the night.



setlist
That's When The Audience Died, This Lamb Sells Condos, In Conflict, Scandal at the Parkade, Keep the Dog Quiet, Soldier's Rock [attempt #1], Soldier's Rock [attempt #2], Tryst with Mephistopheles, The Passions, Song for Five & Six, The Secret Seven, Infernal Fantasy, The Riverbed, The Great Elsewhere.
(encore) Pretty Good Year [Tori Amos cover], Many Lives → 49 MP, This Is the Dream of Win & Regine.

Owen Pallett @ Imperial -- 09/09/14

A little over four years. That's how long it had been since the last time I saw Owen Pallett play live. Since then he's been a little busy; scoring films, getting nominated for awards, and working with a little band that you may have heard of called Arcade Fire. And, of course, working on his brand new album, In Conflict.

I got to the venue just after the first band, Foxes in Fiction, had started. Normally one of those 'single-guy-with-a-band-name' acts, Warren Hildebrand (guitar and vocals) was joined by Emily Reo on keyboards, sampler, omnichord, looping pedals, backup vocals as well as Owen Pallett himself for most of the set, on violin.
They had a very lofty and shoegaze-y sound, with something about their songs sounding almost comforting, like a musical hug.
I really enjoyed the set, and I am going to have to check out their upcoming album, Ontario Gothic, which comes out later this month.


Next up was Avi Buffalo. In contrast to Foxes in Fiction, they were a 'person's-name-but-actually-a-band" act, a four-piece from Long Beach, California. They were a little more indie-sounding, with a hint of twee-pop, definitely influenced by the early-mid 00s and bands like The Shins. Lead singer Avi Zahner-Isenberg's vocals often raising into a falsetto -- which sometimes didn't quite work out so well.
Early on in the set, they had to come to a screeching halt mid-song for Avi to fix his guitar, and the quick-thinking keyboardist started noodling, playing some music from Zelda to quash the potentially awkward silence. But that aside, the sound of the band was strong, but in the end, it didn't really feel like a cohesive set; Avi even apologised for the technical difficulties when they left the stage, so I think I may have just caught them on an off-night.


It wasn't long after that Owen Pallett took the stage alone with his violin. He launched right into "That's When The Audience Died", which is almost what happened watching him carve away with his bow, or watching his frantic fingers pluck away at the strings, all while masterfully looping everything with his amazing voice soaring over everything. Pallett added some keys and even percussion -- by thumping the violin with his thumb -- for a few songs, including one of my favourites off the He Poos Clouds album "Song Song Song", before he was joined by his rhythm section, Rob Gordon and Matt Smith on drums and bass, respectively. They made for a fuller sound, but the focus was still very much on Owen and his looping.

Pallett was also in good spirits, chatting with the crowd a little between songs, and even at one point asking if anyone had questions (which he may have instantly regretted when a guy in the front row started rambling, likely inebriated). He introduced songs with a hint of self-awareness, calling "The Passions" kind of a downer, or admitting that he had been screwing up "Scandal at the Parkade" lately, before flubbing a loop, which just added to the comfort of his set.

Other highlights included the soaring "Tryst With Mephistopheles", the gorgeous ode to his Arcade Fire bandmates, "This Is the Dream of Win & Regine", and the absolutely intense "The Riverbed" -- a song that has quickly become one my favourites of his -- which ended the main set.
But of course, he was back for a few more; another favourite, the frantic "Many Lives → 49 MP" before ending with a pair from his last album Heartland, " Lewis Takes Action" and "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt"

It was a very good audience, too. Lots of cheers and recognition applause from the sold out crowd, but respectfully silent while he was playing. That, combined the great sound in the Imperial, made for a show that won't soon be forgotten.
Now, hopefully it's not another four years til next time.

setlist
That's When The Audience Died, The Arctic Circle, Song for 5 & 6, The Passions, Song Song Song, Midnight Directives, Keep the Dog Quiet, Soldiers Rock, Tryst With Mephistopheles, The Secret Seven, The Great Elsewhere, Infernal Fantasy, This Is the Dream of Win & Regine, Scandal at the Parkade, The Riverbed.
(encore) Many Lives -> 49 MP, Lewis Takes Action, Lewis Takes Off His Shirt

Owen Pallett @ The Vogue -- 05/09/10

I don't know how it happened, but this last week has been amazing, concert-wise. Ending the four-shows-in-five-days was Owen Pallett, a show I have been looking forward to since he had to cancel his show back in September.

Being another curfew show, the opening act came out a little after 8. Snowblink consisted of Daniela Gesundheit and Dan Misha Goldman, both on guitar but they had a few other instruments around. Like a rope with bells tied to it that they passed out to some people in the front row to help out. They had a kind of typical indie-folk-pop sound, one that was perfect to open for Owen Pallett, but it wasn't generic or cliché. They pulled it off really well, and Gesundheit had a really nice voice. There was also a nervous charm about them when talking to the crowd, at first at least; by the end they were joking with us, even throwing an impromptu raffle when they found out the show was assigned seating. Among their own songs was also slipped in a cover of "Human Nature" by Micheal Jackson, and by the end of the set, I was left wishing I had enough money to pick up their album. I just hope they're back again soon.
And yes, those are antlers on her guitar in that picture.

And then at around 9, Owen Pallett hit the stage. Sadly, there was no overhead projector, like some of his past shows, but he more that made up for it with his amazing music. Most of the set he was out there alone, with his violin (and sometimes keyboard) but for a few (mostly the newer ones) he was joined by Thomas Gill on guitar and drums. And even with one other, it is incredibly impressive what he can do alone, through the use of his looping. There were times where you would have sworn there was a whole orchestra of people on stage, but nope, it's just Owen.
He played mostly from the new album, Heartland, but of course there were of course some older ones, too. "This is the Dream of Win & Regine" was pretty incredible, as was "Many Lives -> 49 MP", but the new material was where he really shone. "Midnight Directives", featuring his rapid plucking and dense, building crescendo. And the set-ending "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" was simple amazing, just going crazy by the end of it. He also, as he usually does, slipped in a cover song. This time was "Interview" by Simon Bookish.
The encore was just a couple more, including "This Lamb Sells Condos" before leaving the packed Vogue in awe.
I have seen him twice before, but those were both back in 2007, so I am incredibly glad I had the chance to see him again. He is one of the most interesting and talented live acts I've seen.

Again, I tried to take a few videos, via uStream during the night, so here is "This Lamb Sells Condos". It's a little dark, but it's still good.
I also have half of "Win & Regine".
They're not the best quality, but not too terrible either. The audio is okay, and that's all that matters, really.

Review-kus.

My goal is to review every album I bought/otherwise listened to this year. But there are just so darn many albums, and sometimes I just don't feel like writing a full reviews. So to combat this, I have decided that I shall give a few really quick reviews all at once.... in haiku form. Here we go!

Heartland by Owen Pallett (formerly known as Final Fantasy)
Majestic and rich
An epic tale of Lewis
His finest to date

Download E is for Estranged by Owen Pallett

Heart of my Own by Basia Bulat
Much as expected
Some great versatility
A beautiful voice

Download Walk You Down by Basia Bulat

Henry & The Nightcrawlers (EP) by Henry & The Nightcrawlers ("Henry" being Henry Alcock-White of Bend Sinister)
A few catchy tunes
Nice teaser for the full length
Hopefully out soon

Download 100 Blows by Henry & The Nightcrawlers