Hotel Mira @ Commodore Ballroom -- January 19, 2024

The very first time I saw Hotel Mira (back when they were still JPNSGRLS) they were the opener of three bands on a bill at the Commodore. Flash forward ten years, a name change, and a few albums -- and hit singles -- later, and now they are not only headlining the Commodore for the first time, but a sold out Commodore at that!

Thanks to an early show that evening, I missed the first opener Holy Felix, getting there to catch the tail end of Fake Shark. While the Vancouver band hasn’t always been my jam personally, I cannot deny they have a palpable energy for their fast-paced alt-rock. Especially singer Kevvy, who had the crowd in the palm of his hand, singing along to singles like “Fake Friends” and “Bummer Summer” off their recently released album Afterglow. They also ended the set with a surprise, Matt Webb from Marianas Trench to join in on “Loser”.

After a break, the lights dimmed and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” hit the speakers (crowd obviously singing along) as the members of Hotel Mira took stage; Mike Noble on bass & synth, Clark Grieve on guitar, drummer Cole George, and singer Charlie Kerr.

They started off with “King of the World” and “Alone in America” from their latest album, I Am Not Myself, for a set that weaved through that album as well as 2020’s Perfectionism. From explosive songs like “Everything Once” and “The Eyes on You”, to the harmonies of “Vampire” and “Jungles”, the band hardly let off the gas for their hour-long set.

And they were definitely a good companion to Fake Shark, because if anyone can match Kevvy's vibrancy, it’s Charlie Kerr. They got the crowd riled up and singing along with some hits, “Better On Your Own” and “This Could Be It For Me” early on, and it was clear everyone onstage was feeding off the sold out crowd, but especially Kerr as he waded into the audience for “Speaking Off the Record”, ended with him crowdsurfing.

They wrapped up the main set with the incredibly catchy & frenetic “Fever Pitch”, but were of course back out a few minutes later, first with the more melancholic “The Age of Detachment” before cranking the energy again while reaching back to the JPNSGRLS days for a perennial favourite, and one last singalong, “Southern Comforting”.

One of my favourite things about following local bands is watching them evolve. And it’s definitely been cool to see the lads in Hotel Mira go from opening slots and smaller, more intimate venues, to headlining a sold out Commodore (and beyond?)

setlist
King Of The World
Alone in America
Better On Your Own
This Could Be It For Me
Everything Once
Eventually
Amanda
Silver Lake
Mama
Vampire
Jungle
The Eyes on You
Speaking Off the Record
Dancing With the Moonlight
Fever Pitch
encore
The Age of Detachment
Southern Comforting

Kylie V @ The Pearl -- January 19, 2024

Fun story about Kylie V: about 6 years ago I went to a friend’s wedding, where she introduced me to her nibling who was just starting in music. We had a brief chat about local bands, and later in the night they went on to sing with the wedding band. Soon after, Kylie V broke into the Vancouver scene, and I’ve managed to catch them at a couple outdoor shows and as an opening act, but this was the first time I had seen them headlining. And not only that, it was also the first time making it to The Pearl, since the club had been rebranded from Venue!

Sadly I missed most of the opening bands, la lune and Dawson Gool (a little awkward when Kylie at one point joked they didn’t trust anyone that missed them), arriving just as the latter was wrapping up their final song.

Thanks to it being an early show, there was a very quick turnaround before Kylie V hit the stage, first accompanied by Nolan Fae for a brand new song, and then the rest of their band as they went into “On My Mind” from their first full length, Big Blue.

From there the set was a mix of older -- their soft voice floating through the room on title track, “Big Blue”, and the soaring, emotional “Runaway” -- as well as teasing some new material like “Crash Test Plane” and “Year of the Rabbit”, mentioning they were working on a new album.

Between songs, Kylie chatted, joked, and told the back stories of songs; from the funny (“Natural” inspired by a little too much Benadryl) to the more serious (the gorgeous song “Catherine” being written for one of their best friends).

After a cover of one of their favourites, “Is There Something in the Movies?” by Samia, and without bothering with the encore fakeout, Kylie wrapped u the set with another new song, “Lucky Streak”, which started chill before cranking up the enrgy, and was one of my faves of the set.

Even putting aside meeting them those years ago, Kylie V has genuinely become one of my favourite newer acts in Vancouver, and I am very excited to hear what they have cooking in the new year.

setlist
[New song]
On My Mind
Big Blue
Runaway
Crash Test Plane
Natural
Catherine
Anomaly
Year of the Rabbit
Is There Something in the Movies? [Samia cover]
Lucky Streak

Dan Mangan @ Vogue Theatre -- December 09, 2023

I’ve said it before, but there are some performers that just fit perfectly with certain venues, and Dan Mangan with The Vogue Theatre is one of those combinations. So it was great to see Dan finishing his Going Somewhere Tour — in celebration of last year’s album of the same name — here in Vancouver at the theatre on Granville street.

Unfortunately, I missed the opening act, Vancouver’s Noble Son, arriving to the venue a little before the lights went out and Dan’s voice was heard over the speakers, greeting people as he made his way from the back of the theatre down to the stage. Once there, he pulled out his acoustic guitar, and started the show off with a new Christmas song he wrote a few days before the show.

From there the first portion of the set was dedicated to requests fielded from his text line. “Jeopardy” was for someone’s birthday, his cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” to celebrate an anniversary, and the always-heartbreaking “Basket”.

At that point, Dan was joined by his band — Don Kerr on drums, Jason Haberman on bass, and Mike O’Brien on guitar — for the rest of the set, as they conducting the crowd on the backing vocals for “Lynchpin”.

From his latest single about chasing fame, “Say When”, to the perennial favourites like “Road Regrets”, Dan spanned his career, as well as a range of emotions. From the high energy “Troubled Mind” to the (sadly) always-relevant “Post-War Blues”, like melancholic “Lay Low”, or the mournful “In Your Corner (For Scott Hutchison)” a sweet ode to a lost friend.

The set started to wind down with the usual huge singalong to “Robots”, before Dan pulled out a special guitar adorned with some LEDs. The house lights went down and Dan was illuminated just by his guitar and a special “wizard stick” as he launched into “All My People”, prompting the crowd to sing along, as he hopped off stage and wading into the audience, as a surprise trumpeter played from the balcony. Dan stayed in the crowd for the final song of the night, once again leading the makeshift choir for “So Much for Everyone”, which has been Dan’s closer for a couple years now, and is a beautiful way to bring the crowd together and celebrate the communal feel of his shows.

Earlier this year Dan played a special solo show at the Fox Cabaret, and even though the sold out Vogue had about four times as many people, this show felt just as intimate. Between taking requests, telling stories between songs, and even chatting with the crowd at points, Dan has an uncanny knack to make any size room feel like a cozy show.

setlist
[Christmas Song]
Fool for Waiting
Jeopardy
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea [Neutral Milk Hotel cover]
There Is No Such Thing as Wasted Love
Basket
Lynchpin
Troubled Mind
Road Regrets
Cold in the Summer
Say When
Lay Low
Just Know It
In Your Corner (For Scott Hutchison)
Easy
Post-War Blues
Fire Escape
Robots
All My People
So Much for Everyone

Bend Sinister @ Tyrant Studios -- December 08, 2023

Just a few weeks ago, Bend Sinister announced a last minute, intimate show at Tyrant Studios, the current name for the historic music space above Vancouver’s Penthouse (yes, that one). And seeing as it had been a minute since seeing the group, I jumped at the chance for what was promised to be a “nice, snug, sweaty Rock N Roll show”.

With no opening act, Dan Moxon, Joseph Blood, Matt Rhode, and Dicky Neptune hit the stage to play two sets of high energy rock. Starting off with “Move A Little Slower”, the first set consisted of some old favourites, like the jaunty groove of “Fancy Pants” and the joyous “Show Me How To Love”. Dan’s voice belted out through the room on the dark and moody “Black Magic Woman”, and the whole band shone on the climax of the set, the sprawling, 8-minute epic “Best of You”. They finished the first half of the evening off with the anthemic “Rock ‘n’ Roll” (pausing mid-song for an action shot) and took a quick break before the second half of the show.

After mentioning the rest of the show was going to be filmed for later use, they started off with one of the recent singles they've dropped, “Price You Pay”, and from there mostly focused on new songs from their upcoming album. Highlights included the summer-jam “Hot City” and the infectious “Can I Get Your Name?”, as well as the unreleased “Big Star”, a hugely chaotic tune that instantly shot to my favourite of the new crop.
They did also slip in a few older songs, like “Walk the Other Way”, which was the most intense of the set, and the flat-out rager “Teacher”, before capping off the set with another new one, “What It Takes”.

But the intimate venue and small stage didn’t really offer anywhere to go. So after Joseph quickly ducked off to grab a makeshift Christmas tree, the band went ahead with a holiday song they released last year, “If Christmas Comes This Year”, before letting the crowd sing along to a pair of covers; first “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night and then Van Halen's “Jump”.

I've said before on this blog, one of the first bands I heard when getting deeper into the “Local Vancouver Scene” was Bend Sinister, and I am so happy to be able to see them consistently rock out. But as much as I’ve typed here, I think my favourite ‘review’ of the show came from a lone guy in the crowd (who I don’t think had even heard of Bend Sinister before that evening), when he shouted in awe during a quiet moment between songs “That was pretty good! Those guys have PRACTICED!”

setlist
(set 1)
Move A Little Slower
Got You On My Mind
Fancy Pants
Show Me How To Love
Don't You Know
Man Of Faith
Black Magic Woman
1997
Best Of You
Rock N Roll

(set 2)
Price You Pay
Heard It All Before
Renegade
Shannon
Can I Get Your Name?
Walk The Other Way
Leave The Lights On
Hot City
Big Star
Teacher
What It Takes

(encore)
If Christmas Comes This Year
Joy To World
Jump

PHOTOS: Hannah Georgas, Sam Lynch at the Hollywood Theatre - December 07, 2023

Hannah Georgas, with Sam Lynch
The Hollywood Theatre
December 07, 2023

Photos by Christine McAvoy

Read Kirk’s review of the show here.