Basia Bulat @ Hollywood Theatre -- October 14, 2022

October 15, 2022 by Kirk Hamilton in live shows

Earlier this year, Basia Bulat released a brand new album, The Garden, which featured songs from her previous five albums, re-recorded with brand new strings arrangements. To celebrate the album, she set off on a cross-Canada tour, wrapping up in BC with a stop in Vancouver at the Hollywood Theatre.

I was running a bit late for the show and only managed to just catch the end of Katie Tupper, who was opening the show. And was almost immediately disappointed I wasn't there earlier. Joined by only her guitarist on stage, her smooth vocals and neo-soul sound had the gathering crowd captivated.
Her personal songs were juxtaposed by her light banter between, joking about about their origins and her hometown Saskatoon (and even the “mood whiplash” of doing so). She closed out the set with the first track off her current EP Towards The End, a sultry tune called ”Live Inside”.

After a short break, Basia Bulat took the stage alone to start off with an acoustic "It Can't Be You", before being joined by her band; Andrew Woods (her partner) on guitar, Joshua Toal on bass, and Matthew Woodley (of Plants & Animals) on drums.

Bulat floated between guitar, keys, and the autoharp throughout, introducing songs and bantering with the crowd with a bubbly excitement, as her incredible voice filled the room for songs spanning her albums, like “Fool”, “Your Girl”, and “If It Rains”, dedicated specifically to Vancouver.

About halfway through the set, she was joined by local violinist Meredith Bates, as the “strings section” to add the lush sound from the versions off The Garden. Highlights including a gorgeous rendition of "Heart of My Own", the emotionally staggering "Infamous" (which is my absolute favourite of hers), and the soaring "Tall Tall Shadows", one of the best showcases of her powerful vocals.

Basia drew the main set to a close with "Love is at the End of the World", starting soft and then exploding into an extended breakdown, where every band member got the time to shine with their own solo. But as the entire band took a bow and started to leave, they weren’t even off the stage before the crowd was calling Bulat for more.
She returned immediately for a couple of songs on her own, fielding requests for deep cuts like "The Pilgriming Vine" and "Before I Knew", both off her debut album Oh, My Darling. Then finally, the band also returned to ask us one last question: "Are You In Love?"

As is the case with a lot of artists I've seen over the last year, Basia Bulat was very happy to be back on stage; not only telling us how much she missed performing to people (and not a cell phone), but you could see the emotion on her face at various points throughout the night. A feeling that was definitely reciprocated by the crowd.

setlist
It Can't Be You
Fool
Your Girl
If It Rains
Book of Rules [The Heptones cover]
The Garden
Heart of My Own
Already Forgiven
Infamous
Good Advice
Tall Tall Shadow
Love is at the End of the World
[encore]
The Pilgriming Vine
Before I Knew
Are You In Love?

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

Aidan Knight with Brandon Wolfe Scott @ Fox Cabaret -- September 21, 2022

September 22, 2022 by Kirk Hamilton in live shows

It’s been six long years since Aidan Knight was last in Vancouver for a show, but luckily that changed last night at the Fox Cabaret. A de facto album release party for his 2020 self-titled release, Knight had longtime friend, Yukon Blonde’s Brandon Wolfe Scott along with him. The two shared the same band all evening; Graham Jones on drums and Jackson Gardner on bass, with Scott and Knight trading off leads for their respective sets.

Brandon Wolfe Scott was up first, playing from his own 2020 EP, Burden on Your Shoulders.
His folk-tinged songs drifted through a growing crowd of attentive listeners, with highlights included “Summer on Fire”, inspired by the effects of climate change on BC; his latest single “Fade Out”; and an as-yet unreleased song (possibly called “Take it in Stride”?) which I’m definitely gonna keep an ear out for when it comes out.

After a break and “costume change”, Aidan Knight returned with the band, started with the opening track of his self-titled, “Julia in the Garden”.
From there, Knight played primarily off the new album, including the victorious “Veni Vidi Vici”, the melancholic “Mary Turns the Pillow” and “Renovations”, with a simmering intensity that also saw Brandon pull out an omnichord. The only one not from the new release was my favourite off his previous album Each Other, “What Light (Never Goes Dim)” a slow-burner that builds to a grand finish.
Throughout the show, Knight joked with the crowd between songs, asking if anyone had questions, or rhetorically asking if we were ready for another sad song (answer: yes), and for the most part, the crowd hung on every work he sang, with barely a noise during the songs.
After about an hour, he ended off the main set with “Rolodex”, but Aidan and Brandon almost immediately returned for the encore, each playing a song on their own before getting the rest of the band back for an incredibly fun singalong to a cover of The Wallflowers’ “One Headlight”.

I would probably rank Aidan among my favourite songwriters, and it was great to see him back after so long. Especially at a venue like the Fox, and especially with support like Brandon Wolfe Scott. Hopefully we won’t have to wait that long before the next one.

Aidan Knight setlist
Julia in the Garden
La La
Sixteen Stares
Veni Vidi Vici
What Light (Never Goes Dim)
Mary Turns the Pillow
Renovations
Houston TX
Rolodex
[encore]
Angel Dream [Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers cover]
St Kierans
One Headlight [The Wallflowers cover]