!!! (Chk Chk Chk) @ Fox Cabaret -- 06/28/17

As someone who doesn't (read: can't) dance, there are really only a handful of bands that can get me to move more than just the standard Leg-Shake-Foot-Tap and Head-Bob moves. One of those bands is Sacramento's !!! (or Chk Chk Chk if you're trying to say it out loud). Hot off their new album Shake the Shudder, they returned to Vancouver for a show at the Fox Cabaret. 

The five members of !!! were joined by singer Meah Pace, who features on the new album, to get the dance party started with "NRGQ". Clad in a sport coast and shorts, Nic Offer (who I feel is exempt from the No Shorts On Stage rule) soon doffed the coat and lost half the buttons on his shirt, just by sheer movement.
They worked through their discography from new songs like "Dancing is the Best Revenge" (one of my favourite song titles of the year) to older ones, including the vitriolic & explosive "Pardon My Freedom" from '04's Louden Up Now. Other highlights included "Our Love (U Can Get)", showcasing the great blend of vocals between Offer and Pace, the ridiculously fun "Freedom! '15", and the thumping rhythm of "One Girl/One Boy".
Both Offer & Pace were dancing their faces off the entire time, but especially Nic who barely stood still for a minute. Back and forth across the stage, strutting and grooving, even coming into the crowd a few times, Offer was a ball of energy, constantly in motion. 
An hour flew by as they brought the set to a close on the soulful "The One 2", Pace's voice soaring through the theatre, as they were back out for one more in the encore, with the funky "Slyd". 

One of the most flat out fun live bands you'll see, !!! puts on a live set that will get even the most awkward dancing, and promise everyone will leave a sweaty mess and a giant grin on their face. 

setlsit
NRGQ
All U Writers
Pardon My Freedom
Our Love (U Can Get)
DITBR (interlude)
Dancing Is the Best Revenge
Throttle Service
Freedom! '15
One Girl/One Boy
The One 2
(encore)
Slyd

Photo Round Up: Toronto June 2017 ft. The New Enchanters, NEEDLES//PINS, Duotang, The Smugglers, Taylor Knox, July Talk, Arkells

I (Christine) have just recently returned from a trip to Ontario, where I got to check out a few awesome shows in Toronto while I roamed about the city.

The first show was the eastern performance by The Smugglers, with guests The New Enchanters, NEEDLES//PINS, and Duotang at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern.

The following weekend, I was invited to attend the Taylor Knox performance at the Drake Underground. It's always excellent to see a band you've never heard of before and enjoy it immensely. Check him out HERE.

And finally, from small club to the BIG BIG stage, I went to the Budweiser Stage (formerly Molson Amphitheatre) for the Arkells show, with guests July Talk (as well as Said The Whale, whom I missed photographing because of traffic, but got to catch 2/3 of their set!). The show was epic, and as you can see from the photos above, the crowd was packed in. Both bands are always a pleasure to photograph, and debating which to post is difficult.

Next trip to Ontario is in September, and I should be around for the Polaris Music Prize gala.
Thanks Toronto!

All photos by Christine McAvoy

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre -- 06/22/17

I knew this was going to be a heavy show. The recent album from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Skeleton Tree, was made after the death of one of Cave's sons, which is reflected on not only the album, but also a documentary on the making of the album, called One More Time With Feeling (a great watch, by the way). So when the sold out show came up at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, I had emotionally prepared myself, knowing it would be more intense than the previous two times I had seen them -- which were already some of the most intense shows I have seen. 

There was no opener for the night, just Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds taking stage shortly after 8. As the half dozen members of the Bad Seeds filled the back of the stage, Nick Cave came out and perched on a chair front and centre, somewhat antithetical to his usual stage demeanour, for the first song "Anthrocene". But immediately after, as they launched into "Jesus Alone", Cave put the chair aside and was his usual on-stage-self; stalking back and forth, limbs shooting out wildly, throwing the microphone, crouching into the crowd as arms reached up as if in worship. I don't think I've seen a single other performer with as much effortless presence on stage, commanding a crowd with just a movement or single word, as he was occasionally projected onto the big screen behind the band, literally larger-than-life. He leaves more of himself on stage than most musicians I've seen at half his age. 

The set ebbed and flowed, pulling from their vast library, as the songs slowly built in energy before erupting with "From Her To Eternity" and then calming back down with piano ballads "The Ship Song" and one of my absolute favourites, the gorgeous "Into My Arms". Songs from the new album were wrought with emotion like "Girls In Amber" and "I Need You", and old favourites like the sinister "Red Right Hand" and "The Mercy Seat", building to a frantic finish, had the crowd moving. 

The emotional climax of the set came with "Distant Sky", an incredibly heartbreaking song in which Cave's shaking voice proclaims "They told us our dreams would outlive us // They told us our gods would outlive us // But they lied", I'm sure bringing a tear to more eyes than just mine. And while guest vocalist Else Torp wasn't there for her verse, the video of her singing was projected onto the big screen behind them, like an angel watching over the band. 
That was followed, as on the album, by the sombre "Skeleton Tree" to finish off the main set. And honestly, I would have been satisfied if the set ended there, but it was clear there was more coming, as the crew was getting gear ready as opposed to tearing down. 

The encore began with Cave wading deep into the crowd, past the front area and perched atop the seats as he lead the crowd in singing and clapping to "The Weeping Song". He made his way back on stage for the chaotic murder ballad "Stagger Lee", bring a hoard of people up with him to dance along as Cave pantomimed the songs violent narrative. 
After nearly two hours, the night finished off back out amongst the crowd, Cave leading another sing along, this time to "Push The Sky Away", leaving us with the lyrics  "Some people say it's just rock 'n' roll / Ah, but it gets you right down to your soul"

And I can't think of any better way to describe the show than that. Intense, powerful, emotional, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is one of the best live acts I have ever seen, and everyone needs to witness them perform at least once in their lives. 

setlist
Anthrocene
Jesus Alone
Magneto
Highs Boson Blues
From Her to Eternity
Tupelo
Jubilee Street
The Ship Song
Into My Arms
Girl in Amber
I Need You
Red Right Hand
The Mercy Seat
Distant Sky
Skeleton Tree
(encore)
The Weeping Song
Stagger Lee
Push The Sky Away

Darcys @ Fortune -- 06/09/17

It's been a few months since the release of Centerfold, the latest album from Toronto's Darcys, and while the duo has been to Vancouver since, it was always opening for someone else. Now they're back for their first headlining show since the new album, and the changes in both their band (dropping down to just two members, Jason Couse & Wes Marskell) and sound. 

Opening the show was Vancouver's Sex With Strangers, their indie-dance-rock a nice compliment to Darcys. As usual, singer Hatch Benedict was bursting with energy and he barely stood still for a second, his raw vocals contrasting with those of Shevaughn Ruley. Near the end of the set, as they went into "Gift of Fear", Hatch jumped off the stage and onto the dance floor to, well, dance. He went around the growing crowd, singing to/at people, urging them closer, and encouraging them to move, while ending off the set with a cover of "Don't Change" by INXS. 

As it was a curfewed show, it was a fairly quick turnaround for Darcys, as the duo took to a somewhat tropical looking stage; plants lining the sides, a light up palm tree, a projection screen behind them showing a tree-lined road, and a large neon sign with their name emblazoned. 
They mostly played off the new album Centerfold, with songs like the catchy "Arizona Highway", "Miracle", which got everyone moving, and one of my favourites, the frantic "Coming Up For Air". But they also threw back to a couple older ones, both "The River" and "Shaking Down the Old Bones" bringing the old songs into their "new" sound nicely. 
During the set, Jason and Wes joked a lot, both with the crowd and with each other, clearly having fun. They shared stories from the road, bantered about early shows (it was almost definitely still light outside when they started their set), and seemed like they were trying to entertain each other as much as the crowd. 
As the curfew drew closer, they wrapping the set up with the simmering slow burn of "Lip Service", erupting into an intense ending before thanking everyone and taking off. But they made the crowd work for the encore -- blaming it on the distance from the stage to the bathrooms -- before coming back to play a couple more.
I've said before, I'm not really a fan of the whole encore process, unless the band uses it to have some fun, not just play more of their songs -- or worse yet, their big hit. And that's exactly what Wes & Jason did. After joking with the audience about not knowing anymore songs (and barely knowing the ones they were about to play) they launched into a pair of amazing covers. First was their recent release, a version of "Kiss" by Prince, followed by Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is". Both were super fun and had the crowd singing along, and a perfect way to end off the show. 

It can be hard when a band you really like goes through changes. As much as I love the dark art-rock sounds of their previous album Warring, the new album is ridiculously fun and catchy, and even with a bit more of an 80s pop sheen to it, the new songs still sounded like The Darcys, still have that slightly dark edge creeping in underneath the shine. And even with all that aside, they're still a great live band. 

setlist
Studio City
I Want It All
Alibi
Arizona Highway
The River
Shaking Down the Old Bones
Coming Up For Air
Full Throttle
Black Diamonds
San Diego, 1988
Miracle
Lip Service
(encore)
Kiss [Prince cover]
I Want to Know What Love Is [Foreigner cover]

Adaline @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 06/08/17

Five years ago (to the day) I was on board a train heading from Vancouver to Toronto, with a group of musicians, music fans, and a film crew for an adventure called Tracks on Tracks. One of those musicians was Adaline, and as it turns out, that trip was the last time I saw her perform live. Since then, she's been busy in writing mode, scoring films with the likes of Brendan Canning, and moving to LA. But recently some of that writing came to fruition with her new album Aquatic. And with a new album comes a return to her home of Vancouver for an album release show at the Biltmore. 

I got to the venue just catching the tail end of the second opener of the night, Jessicka. She had a chill, electro-pop vibe. There was one song I really liked, but didn't catch the name of, a soaring pop jam, before she finished off the set with a couple dancey tunes, one immediately catching your attention with the opening line "I wanna punch your fucking face". 

Soon after it was time for Adaline to take the stage, joined by an all star lineup of Andrew Rasmussen, Robbie Driscoll, and Jason Cook backing her. The stage was bathed in blue light, both appropriate for the release of an album called Aquatic, and also matching the moodiness of her sultry alt-pop. She played exclusively from the new album, singing confidently with a voice that ranged from big and powerful to low and seductive, occasionally getting behind the keyboard as well. Highlights included the swirling "Criminal", the slightly frantic (and aptly-named) "Commotion", and the beautifully heartbreaking "Younger Days". 
Adaline was also visibly grateful to be there, making sure to thank all of the familiar faces in the crowd; longtime supporters, other bands (I swear about 37% of the crowd was other local musicians), and especially her parents, who were front and centre. 
After the driving beat of "Entertainer", Adaline slightly mocked about the encore process, joking that this was where she leaves and we cheer her back, only to wander to the side of the stage and immediately return, the rest of the band not even moving. She finished off with one last song, the chilling title track "Aquatic", appropriately also the last one on the album. 

It was great to see Adaline performing again, especially with such a strong show for the new album. Hopefully it won't be another five years until next time. 

setlist
Nostalgia
Criminal
How Could We Know
Stronger
Younger Days
Break Me Apart
Calling It Love
Commotion
Entertainer
(encore)
Aquatic