Zeus @ Biltmore -- 10/21/11

Every once in a while, a show that I should be excited for just kind of sneaks up on me without fanfare. For some reason, this was one of those shows. Sure, I was looking forward to it; I had seen Zeus four times before and this, and it would be the first time seeing them headline a show (not counting the Bonfire Ball), but I was probably not as excited going in as I should have been.

Starting off the night was Daydream Vacation from Seattle; a collaboration between Smoosh and Head Like A Kite who were kind of a strange choice to open the show, with a strong electro-pop dancey sound. It wasn't bad by any means -- Asya from Smooth had a really nice voice and Dave was very animated, singing into a phone receiver and a few times jumping off stage and through the [light] crowd -- but it was just a bizarre fit. A lot of their songs had the same vibe, even the Neil Young cover they threw in, but it was still an upbeat and catchy set.

Vancouver's own Sun Wizard was up next, with their straight-ahead, throwback rock being more suitably paired with Zeus. I've seen them a couple times now, and they are an enjoyable band to watch at the time, but nothing overly engaging. They don't have too much of a stage presence and have a few really catchy songs, notably "World's Got a Handle", but a lot of them were also a little interchangeable. But again, it was a Perfectly Acceptable set and I wouldn't complain seeing them again.

Then it was time for Zeus. They mentioned early since there was a curfew, they'd keep the chit chat minimal and just play, blasting us with a straight hour of rock. The bulk of the set was off of last year's Say Us, but there were a few new ones, teasing the release of their album next March. Of the new ones, the do wop "Love In a Game" was probably my favourite.
Throughout the set there was lots of switching around with Carlin, Mike, and Neil swapping between guitars, bass, and keys, and all pitching in for vocals -- either main or chiming in for superb harmonies. And even though there wasn't much chatter, they still kept a captive crowd, getting the folks to sing along just by Carlin cupping his ear.
Other highlights were the intense ending of "The Renegade" with the band going absolutely nuts rocking out, and the stellar "The River by the Garden", during which Mike broke a string on his guitar -- and between songs, instead of standing around while he fixed, Carlin played a badass bass solo that launching into their great cover of Genesis' "That's All". They ended the main set with the new single, "Are You Gonna Waste My Time?" before coming back for a quick two song encore, capping off the night with the driving"You Gotta' Teller"

It was an amazing set, and I immediately realised why I should have been more excited -- and chastised myself for not. It is going to be tough to wait until next March for the new album, and hopefully they're back not long after that for another show.

setlist
[New Song], [New Song], Kindergarten, Greater Times on the Wayside, The River by the Garden, That's All [Genesis cover], How Does It Feel?, Heavy On Me, Marching Through Your Head, BBO(?), Love is a Game, The Renegade, Are You Gonna Waste My Time?
(encore) Hot Under The Collar, You Gotta' Teller.

West Coast Pop w/ Yukon Blonde, Sun Wizard & Redbird @ Red Room -- 05/07/11

The penultimate instalment in the West Coast Pop! concert series, this was another one that I was really looking forward to. A band that has proven to be fantastic live and another one I have really been digging for the last couple months, it was sure to be a good one.

Kicking off the night was Redbird. Even though they don't have anything released just yet, I've been able to see them live a couple times this year (and get my hands on a few acoustic tracks) and they just keep getting better every time I see them, which makes me more and more eager for the upcoming EP.
Their too-short-set was full of energy and lots of fun, with Savannah's great voice blending really well with the folky, roots rock sound. "Oh Please My Heart" is a definite earworm of a catchy song, and "No Game", which -- despite not even being released -- has become one of my favourite songs of the year; especially with the far too relatable line "my subtlety sabotages me, so please read between the lines".

Next up was Sun Wizard, another fairly new Vancouver band, who had more of a straight ahead rock sound, with twinges of psychedelia. The four members were focused mostly on playing, with not much by way of stage banter or even too much to engage the crowd (the bassist even had the clichéd 'vaguely bored bass player' look). A couple of songs, most notably "World's Got A Handle", sounded great, but most of them were a little interchangeable, with the same kind of sound going on. But they put on a perfectly enjoyable set, and while I might not go too see a show of their own any time soon, I would not be against seeing them live again, and I could definitely see them getting better given time.

And finally, Yukon Blonde. I've had the fortune of seeing them a couple times before, but always as the opening band, so it was great to have them play a longer set. The band always puts on a great live show, and last night was no different. With their incredibly energetic, eardrum-melting power pop-rock and near-perfect harmonies, they had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands, singing along to all the older songs -- with Jeff Innes even handing over the mic to the crowd for part of "Wind Blows". There were also a few new songs sprinkled throughout the set, which were quite good, but taking the cake was one called (according to the setlist) Radio, an intense rocker that I can't wait to hear again.
The only complaint would be that a couple of times, the vocals seemed to be a bit low. But it wasn't a persistent problem, and didn't take away from their set all that much.

setlist (taken from the on-stage setlist, so some new songs may be shorthand)
Rather Be With You, Brides Song, Wind Blows, Oregon Shores, Iron Fist, Water, Blood Cops, Radio, Stairway, Babies Don't Like Blue Anymore, Nico Canmore.
(encore) My Girl, Loyal Man.

Immaculate Machine @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 03/19/10

Ok, I've gotta complain about the Biltmore here for a moment. I think it is a great venue to see a show, but where there are severely lacking is in time management and consistency. On their site, they had doors at 8, show at 9:30. But 9:30 rolls around, and nothing. Then 10. Then finally at 10:30 the first band goes on. The first band of three, mind you.
When they have Glory Days and want to kick everyone out, they have no problem making a show run smoothly and on time, but this just seemed like they were trying to milk money out of everyone there by keeping us as long as possible so people would buy more drinks (jokes on them, I just had free water!).

So for full disclosure, I was kind of tired by the time the first band came on (up at 630 with six hours of sleep will do that), and I fully admit it may have effected my enjoyment of the opening acts. The first of which was A Pale Blue. They hit the stage at 10:30, but there was a bit of stalling for a while after the curtains opened. Their sound was kind folky-country, but maybe a little too much on the country side. The set was half an hour, but seemed quite a bit shorter, since there seemed to be quite a bit of them standing around for no apparent reason... They were not bad by any means, but just not really anything that held my attention.

Then coming on at 11:30 was Sun Wizards, a great band name. Their set, too, was pretty short, but definitely more up tempo. They had some catchy songs, but it seemed a little bit too much like one catchy song played with slight variations over and over. The vocals were also really indistinguishable; I think the lead singer somehow managed to mumble and yell simultaneously... Again, they were not bad, and I might be interested in seeing them open for someone again, but I probably wouldn't go see a show for just them.

Both bands sets kind of blended together (within themselves, not with each other), and again, my general fatigue probably played a factor, so I am not counting either one of them out. But neither one particularly gave a good enough first impression to get through my tired eyes.

And finally, FINALLY, hitting the stage at 12:30 was Immaculate Machine. Last time I saw them I was quite disappointed by Kathryn Calder not being at the show, but this show more than made up for it. I am not sure if she has fully left the band, or is just more of a part time member now (with her being in New Pornos and her upcoming solo album), but I was reminded so much of why I love the band. That's not to take away from Brooke Gallupe, as he is also an excellent musician, but Immaculate Machine without Kathryn is like Stars without Amy Millan, or Black Mountain without Amy Weber. Yes, Campbell, McBean and Gallupe are all more than capable of fronting their respective bands on their own, but it would just be weird. It was only three songs in, with "C'mon Sea Legs" and "Dear Confessor" (one of my favourites) back to back, when I realized how much of an impact Calder made.
That was just reaffirmed throughout the night, especially when they played some of their older songs like "Broken Ship" and "Jarhand". And of course the newer ones were great too, with "Sound the Alarms" and "Neighbours Don't Mind" both being incredibly high energy and rocking. Spanning songs off their last three albums (their first, Transporter, got no love) and throwing in a their usual cover song, this time "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac (they've played a different cover every time I've seen them live, and that is just another reason I love the band so much) this was probably the best I've seen them play. They were all on top of their game, and it's kind of interesting to see how they've grown since the first time I saw them four years ago.
They played for about an hour or so before "leaving" and coming back for just one more and taking off for good. Which I didn't mind too much, since it was already after 1:30 at that point. I may have managed to be alert for their entire set, but I don't know how much longer I would have lasted. There was also a cool piece of merch I picked up, a collected edition of the various comics Brooke has done over the years. Some can be viewed here at their website but there are more in the book. For only $5 it was definitely worth it.

While the poor time management may have put me off the show "earlier" in the night, it was more than worth it to see the excellent set from Immaculate Machine.

setlist:
Only Love You For Your Car, Don't Build the Bridge, C'mon Sea Legs, Dear Confessor, You Destroyer, Thank Me Later, Sound the Alarms, Phone No., Broken Ship, He's a Biter, So Cynical, Jarhand, The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover), No Suck Thing As The Future, Neighbours Don't Mind. (encore) Nothing Ever Happens.