PHOTOS: The Beaches @ Orpheum Theatre - November 12, 2023
The Beaches
Orpheum Theatre
November 12, 2023
The Beaches @ Orpheum Theatre -- November 12, 2023
Hot off the release of their second full-length album Blame My Ex -- and a featured spot at The Jonas Brothers concert the previous night (no, really) -- The Beaches returned to Vancouver for a sold out show at the Orpheum.
Unfortunately I missed the opener, Beach Weather, arriving just before the members of The Beaches, Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller, Leandra Earl, and Eliza Enman-McDaniel, hit the stage. They kicked off the set hard with three of my favourites; “Kismet” off the new album, before ramping into the gritty “T-Shirt”, and the frenetic “Me & Me”, another of my picks from Blame My Ex.
From there, they barely slowed down for the next hour-plus, their infectious energy pouring off the stage as the lights behind them danced to their catchy alt-rock. Even on the downbeat songs like “If A Tree Falls”, the entire theatre was rapt by Jordan Miller’s voice, and the band’s impeccable harmonies. Other highlights included the hard-hitting “Let’s Go”, “Everything is Boring” with its simmering intensity, and the sultry “My Body ft Your Lips”, which also featured a couple members of Beach Weather joining them onstage for the duet.
They finished off the main set with their latest smash, “Blame Brett”, and the entire crowd shouting the chorus. And when I say ‘singing along’, I mean the crowd was perfectly in sync with the song; a rare feat even in a small venue, let alone a sold out Orpheum, a testament to the song’s relatability (and catchiness). But of course, they were quickly back for another pair of songs, first “Edge of the Earth” before capping off the night with “Money”.
I've seen The Beaches a couple times before, but just as an opening act, and a free outdoor show. Both of which were great, but definitely paled in comparison to this night. Multiple times throughout the show, they expressed how excited they were to be playing the west coast in general, and the Orpheum specifically, and that excitement permeated through the sold out crowd for a really fun show, among the best I’ve seen this year.
setlist
Kismet
T-Shirt
Me & Me
Grow Up Tomorrow
My People
Desdemona
My Body ft Your Lips (ft Beach Weather)
Cigarette
Fascination
Back of My Heart
Shower Beer
If A Tree Falls
Kinkade
Want What You Got
Let’s Go
What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Paranoid
Everything is Boring
Blame Brett
(encore)
Edge of the Earth
Money
Said the Whale @ Malkin Bowl -- 09/06/19
It's been a little over ten years since the first time I saw Said the Whale, playing at the Biltmore Cabaret. Since then I've seen them at nearly every Vancouver venue, but this summer they aimed big for a show at [un]arguably the most beautiful venue of the city, Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park.
Opening the night was Jaden Bricker, who won a contest Said the Whale was running for high school musicians and bands to open the show. Unfortunately I only caught the last couple of his songs, but his strong vocals and catchy indie-pop songs made me wish I (as well as Translink) had gotten my act together and been there 15 minutes earlier.
Next up was The Beaches from Toronto, who hit the stage hard. All four members had a high energy that barely faded as they cranked through a set of frenetic songs like their sultry single “T-Shirt”. Bassist Jordan Miller's powerful vocals filled the park, as her voice was occasionally joined by guitarist Kylie Miller and Leandra Earl on keys — all held together by the strong drumming of Eliza Enman-McDaniel.
Mid-way through the set, they did dial the energy down a bit with a a chilled out cover of “Kids” by MGMT, but were right back into with a banger “Desmonda”, from their latest EP The Professional. After a few more new songs, they launched into “Boy Wonder”, which built to a big finish and transitioned into “Late Show”, somehow topping everything that preceded it to end off the set.
I really only knew The Beaches in passing before this night, but seeing them live definitely made me want to dive in to their albums.
Then at 8:30 sharp (gotta love curfew shows) Said the Whale took the stage, flanked by a large pair of their Cascadia flags and a giant viewmaster slide in the back, Lower Mainland landmarks as the frames. Ben Worcester kicked off with "Gambier Island Green" before Tyler Bancroft and Jaycelyn Brown joined him on the now-classic “This City’s a Mess”, as their set spanned their entire career. From the ridiculously upbeat “The Light Is You” to the moody “Step Into The Darkness” and the hard hitting & raucous “Record Shop”, the set ran through hit after hit. And of course, they had to play "Black Day In December", a song about the windstorms which knocked down a good number of trees in Stanley Park.
The band was visibly blown away by the support of the fans, friends, and family, thanking everyone multiple times for being there and even shouting out some friendly faces in the crowd (Ben having to stop himself before he spent the rest of the set saying “Hi” to people). And they even had a few of those friends join them on stage throughout the night; the actual Camilo The Magician came out during his eponymous song for a quick illusion, a group of choir kids from Maple Ridge Secondary & Jaden Bricker sang backups on "Wake Up", and then stayed on stage for "False Creek Change", the sea shanty that also had CBC Radio host, lead singer of The Smugglers, and STW Superfan Grant Lawrence join on vocals as well.
After over an hour, they drew the main set to a close with a pair of hard hitting earworms "UnAmerican" and "I Love You", before of course returning just before the 10pm curfew. From there Ben once again silenced the crowd for the heartbreaking "Curse of the Currents" which had many singing along, and finally a very fitting song to cap everything off, "Goodnight Moon" exploding into a joyous ending for the evening, proclaiming that they had “so much love”.
I’ve seen some of my favourite shows (and some of my favourite bands) in Malkin Bowl, but Said the Whale is the first band I’ve seen play where everything just makes sense for them to be there. A band that shows their hometown love both in song and outside their music (as seen in their recent cookbook) surrounded by “Stanley’s Soldiers” couldn’t have been more fitting.
Also, make sure to check out Christine’s photos post right over here!
setlist
Gambier Island Green
This City's A Mess
Camilo (The Magician)
Step Into The Darkness
Mother
Black Day in December
The Light Is You
Cascadia
Oh K, Okay
Moonlight
Record Shop
Wake Up
False Creek Change
Loveless
Broken Man [incl. Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric]
Love Always
Level Best
The Gift of a Black Heart
Emerald Lake, AB
UnAmerican
I Love You
(encore)
Curse of the Current
Goodnight Moon
PHOTOS: Said The Whale, The Beaches @ Malkin Bowl - September 06, 2019
The Beaches, Said The Whale
Malkin Bowl
September 06, 2019
Christine McAvoy Photography