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.

West Coast Pop w/ Young Liars, Oh No! Yoko and Kingdom Cloud @ Red Room -- 04/30/11

Another Saturday, another West Coast Pop show. This one was focused on young local(ish) talent.

Kicking off the night was Kingdom Cloud. I had heard good things about the young Kelowna band, so was eager to see them live; and they did not disappoint. The trio hit the stage in matching white jeans, blue shirts and scarves and launched into a very energetic set of infectious pop. All three members were brimming with enthusiasm, especially Evan, the lead singer/guitarist and keys, who was all over the stage. And the drummer, who sliced her hand open early on but kept going, despite the blood. They had some great, catchy songs -- with awesome titles like "Turbo Ranger" and "Love Goblin" -- though some of them sounded maybe a bit similar-y.
It was a really fun set to watch, and especially considering they're all pretty young, I have no doubt they'll grow from a good band into a great band sooner rather than later.

Next up was Oh No! Yoko from Abbotsford. With more of a rock edge to their pop, they had good energy, but lacked a little in banter or crowd interaction. They, too, suffered the problem of a lack of variation in songs, but that's not always a terrible thing when the songs are so catchy. The set also included a pretty cool cover of Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule The World". Another young band that has the potential to go on to big things, I will definitely be looking forward to what they do in the future.

And finally was Young Liars, hitting the stage with almost as many keyboards as members. The synth heavy set was full of poppy songs, but at the risk of sounding repetitive myself, they also had some pretty same-y sounding songs. Though as all three bands are still young, with one (or no) albums out, it's a lot easier to cut them slack for something like that. They were a bit lacking in stage presence, too, but still put on an enjoyable set nonetheless.

In all, a good night of music. It's always interesting to see bands progress, and these were three up and comers that will no doubt have bright futures.

West Coast Pop! w/ We Are The City, Aidan Knight & Analog Bell Service @ Red Room -- 03/03/11

With no offence meant to all other artists in the West Coast Pop series, this was the show I was most looking forward to. I hadn't seen either Aidan Knight or We Are The City play live in too long, and add Analog Bell Service to the bill? Forget about it. There was no contest.

Three vested gentlemen hit the stage as Analog Bell Service kicked off the night. Early on they mentioning it was their last show as the band, but hinted that they would be evolving into something more, by playing some new songs for a different project. It was as set full of fun and energy, with all three members having great chemistry -- especially the joking/banter between Colin Cowan & Chris Kelly. Among the set was their usual cool, and kind of dark, cover of "Sunglasses At Night" and "I Guess", which they ended with, and somehow managed to top the energy of the rest of their set. I'm definitely sad that it was their last show, but I glad to have seen it, and I am intrigued to find out what comes next.

Next up was Aidan Knight and his Friendly Friends. He played a good mix of songs from Versicolour and newer, starting off with, "Friendly Fires" with the rest of the band kicking in as it built up. He mentioned a few times, when chatting between songs with his charmingly-awkward banter, that he was happy to be there, playing with We Are The City and for everyone, and his enthusiasm shone through into his performance.
After another pair of new songs, the hauntingly beautiful "Margaret Downe" and another one which I didn't get the name of -- and so playing 'guess a new songs name', I dub it "Jean-Baptiste" -- he ended the set with the usual pairing of "Knitting Something Nice" and "Jasper". The former building to an intense ending and the latter is still incredibly fun to sing along to. And just about everyone else in the sold out Red Room seemed to think so, as well.
There was a bit of a technical issue, though, as I could hear a faint buzz throughout the set. It was not, however, terribly distracting and mostly just noticeable when Aidan was talking, or especially quiet parts. And it did not stop it from being the best show I've seen Aidan play yet.

setlist
Friendly Fires, Land's End, Altar Boys, North South East West, Margaret Downe, Jean Baptiste[?], Knitting Something Nice, Jasper.

And finally, it was time for We Are The City. It had been a while since I saw them live, back in October (which is weird, since I had seen them ten times in the ten months prior), so I was not only anxious to see them, but interested in seeing the new guitarist, Blake Enemark, for the first time. They hit the stage with the first two tracks off the new EP, High School, amping up the energy right off the bat.
Not that I was unsure, but any doubt I had about Blake were erased, especially after "Time Wasted", and both Cayne and Andy were as passionate as ever -- I always think Andy is going to tear right through the drums with the amount of intensity he puts into playing.
Half way through the set, there was an incredible moment where Cayne, after a little work and pleading, silenced nearly the whole song out room to play the beautiful "Angel In White". He didn't quite achieve perfect silence, but it was an impressive feat nonetheless. That was followed by "Dark/Warm Air" which is the bands first song to have Andy on vocals, and they "ended" with a crowd favourite, "Astronomers". But after some heavy encore chants they came back out for one more -- the only other song they knew with Blake -- "1987", which had Cayne on guitar.
Like Aidan, they too were visibly excited to be playing to a sold out crowd. There was one moment during "Beasts" where everyone was clapping and singing along, and when the crowd got louder than Cayne, there was a giant grin, a look of indescribable joy on his face. It was more than obvious that the three of them were more excited to be playing than the crowd was to be watching them.

And again, much like Aidan, it was probably the best show I have seen from the band. I first saw them a little over a year ago -- and have seen them many times since -- and it's been incredible to watch them progress as a band.

setlist
Get Happy, Happy New Year, There Are Very Tiny Beasts In The Ground, Time Wasted, That's It That's All, April, Angel In White, Dark/Warn Air, Astronomers.
[encore] 1987.

West Coast Pop! w/ The Dudes, Treelines & Birthday Boy @ Red Room -- 03/26/11

After missing the last coupe weeks of West Coast Pop shows for various reasons, I knew that last night was one that should not be missed. And apparently quite a few people thought the same, what with the show being sold out.

Birthday Boys were on first, and they could be best described as RAWK!. They had all the hallmarks of a bro-rock band, alternating gravelly and screaming vocals, power chords and power stances, and that generic alt-rock sound. Though while it may not have been for me, I have to admit, they did have a pretty good energy on stage.

Second was Treelines, who are fresh back from their first cross-Canada tour. Playing mostly off their Young Man EP, they also tossed in a couple new ones; "Linked Arms", in which pockets of people in the crowd did just that, and another one I didn't catch the name of. The familiar stuff was great, too, with "Ghost Towns" bringing the place down, and "Young Man" building to its sing-along climax. Another highlight was the ballad-y "When I Get Grown", which saw drummer Grant take over bass, Steve on keys and Matt Kelly laying down some steel. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few teary eyes for that one. And as usual, the band had an incredible presence on stage, and even showed some polish after their tour. They're always a fun band to see live.

And last but not least, The Dudes. I have to admit, while I don't dislike the band, I have never really been too much into them. I enjoy hearing the odd single, but never bothered to pick up the album. That being said, their live show was fun as hell to watch. They had a fantastic energy and the crowd was eating out of the palm of their hands. From stage diving and crowd surfing to singing along to each one of the bands singles, the audience's enthusiasm was only outmatched by the band's. With the catchy collection of tunes, including "Dropkick Queen of the Weekend", "Girl Police" and "Pretty Lies", their songs ran the gamut from love to alcohol to... loving alcohol.
It was a really good set, I would definitely be interested in seeing them play live again.

The Dudes and Treelines were two bands that worked so well together, making a great and fun night of music. Though I have a feeling next week's show is going to be the one to set the bar.

West Coast Pop! w/ Bend Sinister, The Racoons & Rococode @ Red Room -- 02/19/11

The West Coast Pop concert series kicked off in fine fashion last night at the Red Room, where it will be running every Saturday for the next 13 weeks. Future acts include 41st & Home, Kyprios, The Dudes, Treelines, and the show I am most looking forward to thus far: We Are The City with Aidan Knight and Analog Bell Service. There will also be more shows announced soon (like, next week soon).

As for the first show... I am not going to lie, I am still disappointed that Young Galaxy had to drop out, but Bend Sinister is always a good time, and the other band I really wanted to see was still on the bill.

That band? Rococode. I had seen this new project from Laura Smith and Andrew Braun in December at the Biltmore (and acoustic at Sitka) and was really impressed, so I was definitely looking forward to seeing them again. Despite being a brand new band, they are not unfamiliar with playing together, which helped them sound incredibly tight. Braun and Smith shared vocals -- and for at least one song, keys -- for some insanely catchy power-pop songs, and even though the crowd was a bit thin due to an early start, they soon drew everyone's attention and filled the dance floor area. I have no doubt they won over more than a few fans, and I especially can't wait until they have some recorded material out; one of their songs, "Empire", was still stuck in my head all morning.

Next up was The Racoons who, after a bit of a false start, got right into it. They were a bit harder rocking, and at times reminded me a little of The Constantines, in both sound and especially vocals. Their songs were good, if lacking a little in variety, and they had a pretty good stage presence as well. I did have some issues with the sound, though. The other two sets sounded fine, but for some reason, the bass was really overpowering; especially at the start of the set. That aside, I did enjoy their set; I wasn't overwhelmed by it, but I liked it well enough and would be interested in seeing them again.

And rounding out the night was Bend Sinister. They are always incredibly fun to watch live, and last night was no exception. Even being the first show with the new bass player, they were firing on all cylinders, with intense energy from the whole band, especially Dan Moxon. Sprinkled throughout their set were some new songs, as they teased a new release at some point. They were definitely "Bend Sinister songs", lively and enthusiastic, and one of which was introduced as "an ode to Hall & Oats". Among the older songs, "CT" and "Dr. Lee" were both highlights, being incredibly frantic, and the pairing of "Don't Let Us Bring You Down" leading into "Things Will Get Better" was pretty great.
At the end, they broke out a Billy Joel cover (I think "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)") before an intense ending with another new song (I think) and, refreshingly, just left the stage, all done with no encore. I think I've ranted before about how I think the encore break is a waste of time, now that everyone expects it, so it's always nice to see a band just use their full time without it.

In all, a damn good launch to what is sure to be an excellent concert series.