Bend Sinister EP Release @ Cobalt -- 10/13/17

With a brand new EP out in the world, Bend Sinister is hitting the road, starting with a show at the Cobalt in Vancouver last Friday. 

I caught most of the set from opener Crystal Eyes, with their shoegazey dream pop. Singer Erin Jenkins joked about hitting the crowd with all the feelings, as their moody songs kind of blended together. But near the end of the set they kicked it up for a couple more high energy songs, which I quite liked, and made me want to keep an eye out for them in the future. 

From there, it was time for Bend Sinister to celebrate their new release, with singer Dan Moxon on keys, guitarist Joseph Blood, Matt Rhode on bass, and drummer Dicky Neptune were joined by JP Maurice on, well, everything else. 

They started off with some songs from the new EP, including the rollicking "Move A Little Slower", the intense "Get Along", and the bombastic title track "Walk The Other Way", before moving on to something of a band retrospective, Dan saying they'd be playing one song from each of their albums. Starting with the earliest, the title track from Through the Broken City all the way up to '014's Animals with "Best Of You", and including some of my favourites like "Time Breaks Down" and "Things Will Get Better", which started out with Dan alone on the keys before the rest of the band joined in as the song burst forth with its cautious optimism.

From there, they threw in a couple brand new songs, but also the instant-classic sing-along "Rock N Roll" from the new EP, before ending the set with a cover of Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" -- a song they recently played as part of a set where they played songs from the Forrest Gump Soundtrack at the Vancouver Fringe Festival. 

Of course, they weren't quite done, coming back for one more song, another brand new one, this time one no one had heard before, a bit of a love song called "I Do" that rocked its way to the end of the night. 

I've said before that Bend Sinister was one of the first local bands I saw as I was getting "into the scene" and they remain one of my favourites, especially to watch live, with an unmatched energy & sound that could fill arenas. 

An Evening with Feist @ Commodore -- 10/02/17

Somehow it's been nine years since I last saw Feist perform live -- so long that the last time I saw her predates this very blog. So I was happy to fix that while spending An Evening With Feist as she toured her Polaris short-listed album Pleasures (well, the second of two evenings with Feist, really, as she was at the Vogue the previous night). 

With no opening act, Feist came on stage with an undeniable and effortless confidence, having the crowd rapt from the first notes of "Pleasure" as she played the entire new album front to back, promising the highs and lows of love & heartbreak. 

Backed by Amir Yaghmai on keys and violin, Todd Dahlhoff on bass, and Lucky Paul Taylor on drums, Feist was clearly having fun, while she made jokes & chatting between songs, slipped local references into the lyrics, and even took a moment mid-set to give Broken Social Scene bandmate Kevin Drew a call, speakerphone held up to the mic so we could all hear (and challenged him to make the same call when their places were swapped and she was on the east coast while BSS was playing the Commodore). 

Highlights from the first half of the set included one of my favourites from the album, "Any Party", a sweet song with a few ad libbed lines toward the end, and "Century" with the disembodied voice of Jarvis Cocker doing his spoken word portion of the song as the simmering energy bubbled over for an intense ending. 

You would think after about an hour, once she wrapped up the album with "Young Up", that would be the end of the main set. But she went right in to a selection of older tracks, starting with the aptly titled "A Commotion", playing nearly another hour of older favourites, like "Sealion Woman" which had the crowd chanting along, and a bit of a revised version of "I Feel It All".

She ended the main set on a bit of a heartbreak, but also with a twinge of humour, saying she had been told this next was used as the first dance at weddings. With a smirk, she made sure we really paid attention to the lyrics, causing a few chuckles through the crowd as everyone listened intently to of one of the best breakup songs of the '00s, "Let It Die". 

Once again, I thought that might have been the end, and it would have been satisfying, but she was back out for a well-earned encore, alone with her guitar for an acoustic "Mushaboom" with a giant singalong, and then a reworked, slowed down version of "1234". But the crowd was still clamouring for more, as Feist came right back out for a second encore and fielded a request for "Secret Heart". She joked she may not quite remember all of the words, but any time she hesitated, the crowd was right there to remind her, singing along. Then after two and a half hours, she ended it for real with one last song, "Gatekeeper". 

Feist is an amazing performer with an amazing voice, and no doubt this will end up as a favourite show of the year. Now, hopefully it just won't be another nine years... 

setlist
Pleasure
I Wish I Didn't Miss You
Get Not High, Get Not Low
Lost Dreams. 
Any Party
A Man Is Not A Song
The Wind
Century
Baby Be Simple
I'm Not Running Away
Young Up
A Commotion
My Moon My Man
Sealion Woman
The Bad In Each Other
Caught A Long Wind
Feel it All
Let it Die
(encore)
Mushaboom
1234
(second encore)
Secret Heart
Gatekeeper

The New Pornographers @ Commodore -- 09/29/17

Hometown heroes The New Pornographers returned to the Commodore Ballroom this weekend touring their new album Whiteout Conditions. The bad news is, Neko Case wasn't on the tour (I don't think I've seen her perform with the band since 2011, sadly) but the good news is, we did get an appearance from Dan Bejar. I don't think he was with them for the full tour, but living in Vancouver has its perks as he popped in for a few of his songs. 

The seven members came on stage and launched immediately into "The Jessica Numbers" off Twin Cinema, before the title track for Whiteout Conditions, for a set that spanned all seven albums. The power pop hit hard with AC Newman's voice blending nicely with Kathryn Calder, not only singing her own songs but filling in nicely for Case's parts. This was also the first time I had seen the band with touring member Simi Stone on violin, who also provided backing vocals, and stepping into the spotlight for "Play Money". In true Bejar fashion, he would only pop out for his songs, but immediately captivated the crowd who was happy to see him there. 

The rarely-played (according to Newman after the song) "Myriad Harbour" got over huge with the packed room, and other highlights of the set included the soaring "High Ticket Attraction", the explosive "Dancehall Domine", and the classic "Testament To Youth In Verse", witheveryone's voice soaring together singing "No no no..."
As they finished the main set with the bombastic "Mass Romantic", I was slightly disappointed they didn't play either of two particular songs... until they started the encore with Kathryn Calder's beautiful and heartbreaking vocals on "Adventures in Solitude", and then ended the night with not just one of my favourite New Pornos songs, but one of my favourites period, "The Bleeding Heart Show". The cacophonous rise to an emotional crescendo was a perfect way to end the night. 

setlist
The Jessica Numbers
Whiteout Conditions
Myriad Harbour
Dancehall Domine
Moves
The Laws Have Changed
High Ticket Attractions
War On the East Coast
Champions of Red Wine
All the Old Showstoppers
This is the World of the Theatre
Spanish Techno
Colosseums
Jackie, Dressed in Cobras
Play Money
Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
Use It
Avalanche Alley
Testament to Youth in Verse
Mass Romantic
(encore)
Adventures in Solitude
Brill Bruisers
The Bleeding Heart Show

Elliott BROOD @ Commodore -- 09/28/17

With their latest album, Ghost Gardens, recently released, Elliott BROOD set out stomp their way across Canada one more time, stopping at the legendary Commodore Ballroom here in Vancouver. 

First though, let's jump back to a post from six years ago where I said of a band:

I could see them opening up for Elliott BROOD no problem

That band was The Sumner Brothers, and guess who was opening this show? Brothers Bob & Brian traded off gritty vocals while the growing crowd gathering by the stage for their roots 'n' blues-tinged rock n roll. I hadn't seen them perform live in a while, but they were as solid and tight as ever, with songs like"Last Night I Got Drunk", the heartbreaking "I'm Not Ready", and the grim ferocity of "Giant Song", with Kenton Loewen's phenomenal drumming sprinkled throughout the set. They ended off with the dark and sprawling intensity of "Ant Song" which was definitely the highlight of their set. 

Not long after the Ontario trio of Mark Sasso, Casey Laforet and Stephen Pitkin took to the stage. Elliott BROOD started their set with slower, moodier songs like "Nothing Left" and "Jigsaw Heart", culminating with one of my early favourites from Ghost Gardens "The Fall". Another favourite from the new album was the perfect transitioning song, as the dark lyrics of "Dig A Little Hole" were masked by its upbeat, foot-stomping tempo, as they kept that energy going for the latter half of the set.
The bouncy floor of the commodore got a workout for older hits like "Without Again" and the raucous "Oh Alberta", and especially the great finish to the main set, "The Valley Town". But after the shortest bathroom break in the history of musicians (they were barely off stage for a minute before returning) Casey exclaimed "Of course we're gonna play a few more!" with a singalong for "Northern Air" and arguably their best live song, "Write It All Down For You" which had everyone bouncing and shouting "HeyHeyHey!!" along with the band. 
That would have been an excellent way to end the show, but they had more for us, by way of a nice pair of covers; first CCR's "Bad Moon Rising" and then "Just What I Needed" by The Cars, for a fun way to cap off the show. 

Similar to my love of albums that are well put together and have a great "flow", I really like it when live shows do the same, and BROOD did a great job of that. They started with a slow burn for the first half of the set before exploding into the latter half. Plus, I've said for a long time that bands should use the encore to do more than just "here are the songs we didn't play" like doing fun or cool covers, and they definitely hit the mark there. 

July Talk w/ The Zolas @ Malkin Bowl -- 09/17/17

I knew July Talk had exploded in popularity in the last couple years. Last year they sold out the Commodore and added a second show, but even still I was a little surprised when they announced a show at the Malkin Bowl. But, you know, good surprised. 
And of course, I wasn't going to miss a change to see them, let alone at a beautiful venue in the middle of Stanley Park (which I hadn't seen a show at in some time), let alone with the band they had opening for them.

And that band was Vancouver's own The Zolas, frontman Zach Gray stating at one point during the set he had seem some amazing shows in the bowl, and was hoping this would rank among them. Starting with the fiery "Molotov Girls", a good portion of the crowd was clearly there to see the hometown band, or even just quickly won over. Highlights from the shorter set included "Get Dark" as the sun was setting on the park, one of my favourites from the new album "Male Gaze", and the insanely danceable combo of "Invisible" and "Swooner" which finished off the set. It's always great to see them play, and I think Malkin Bowl is maybe the one (non-arena) venue I hadn't already seen them live in this city. 

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' "Dig Lazarus Dig" filled the air as the five members of July Talk took the stage. Before they started, they did something that I'm not sure I've ever seen a band that isn't from Vancouver do; acknowledged they were playing on unceded First Nations territory, which got a respectful cheer from the sold out crowd. 
Launching into a raucous set full of their gritty blues-tinged rock n roll, they kicked off with "Picturing Love" off their latest album Touch, for an hour plus that pulled from both that and their self-titled. The entire band has a great presence, but all eyes were on Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay. The two of them have an unparalleled chemistry, not just in the way their contrasting voices blend together, but how they play off each other. Fay especially is a dynamo, confidently moving around the stage, and even disappearing and (literally) popping up in the crowd. 
A crowd that they had in the palms of their collective hands, singing along to songs like the explosive "Guns + Ammunition" and "Paper Girl". Other highlights included the sexually charged "Lola + Joseph", the frenetic "Summer Dress", and "Push + Pull" which ended the main set. But of course, they were quickly back out for just two more before the hard curfew of the park, with the simmering intensity of "Touch" and then one last rager (after a tease of some ZZ Top) "The Garden" to leave everyone spent. 

Here's an interesting metric on how well the band connected with everyone: as people packed (and I mean barely-room-to-breathe packed) onto the only bus that leaves Stanley Park after the show, everyone was not only chattering about how much they loved the show, but also being very polite and cordial and cooperative to everyone for the next few stops. A bus trip like that could have led to spoiled moods or disgruntled riders, but the love that July Talk puts out through their music carried at least that busload of people home that night. 

July Talk setlist
Picturing Love
Summer Dress
Now I Know
Gentleman
So Sorry
Headsick
Lola + Joseph
Strange Habit
Guns + Ammunition
Jesus Said So
Paper Girl
I've Rationed Well
Blood + Honey
My Neck
Beck + Call
Push + Pull
(encore)
Touch
The Garden

The Zolas setlist
Molotov Girls
Get Dark
Fell in Love With New York
Ancient Mars
Ultramarine
Male Gaze
Frida On The Mountain
Invisible
Swooner