Youngblood EP Release @ Fox Cabaret -- 09/22/16

Alexis Young is no stranger to the Vancouver music scene. Formerly of Sex With Strangers, she recently struck out on her own with her solo project Youngblood. And even though she's taken the city by storm the last few months, I've somehow missed every live show... up until now. With her EP Feel Alright coming out the following day, she took to the Fox Cabaret Thursday night to celebrate its release. 

I got to the venue just after Rococode hit the stage; Laura Smith and Andrew Braun joined by drummer Jason Cook for their last show of the year. They focusing on their latest album Don't Worry It Will Be Dark Soon, as fog swirled around the dimly lit band, matching their dark and moody synthpop, with Laura's haunting voice on songs like "Crystalline" and "A Diamond", balanced by Andrew's voice as he took over on the higher energy "Panic Attack".
I feel like I hadn't seen them play a proper show in a while, and it was good to see them again as they put on a strong opening set. 

It wasn't long before an intro video ran on the screen and Youngblood took the stage, Alexis Young front and centre joined by her backing band, which included members of Gay Nineties. And she was a natural in the spotlight as she fronted the band like a firecracker. With great confidence and presence, she hardly stood still, moving and dancing around the stage, even going right up, and into, the crowd.
Starting off with the opening track from the EP, "Broken English", the band played some dreamy indie-pop songs with an edge to them -- she joked after one song there were far too many "fucks" for it to ever be considered for radio, and one of my favourites of the set was "Razor Fine", about those people who you instinctively hate at first sight. 
Other highlights included "Alone With You" and its crushing chorus of "I could never be alone with you", the soaring title track "Feel Alright", and (as if I wasn't already musically enamoured) a great cover of a song off one of my favourite albums: Bloc Party's "Positive Tension". 
The set drew to an end with a sultry jam that grew to an explosive climax, and Alexis visibly grateful for everyone coming to the show. 

It was a great EP release show, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to see Youngblood perform live. Fir the first time, but surely not the last. 

Explosions in the Sky @ Commodore -- 09/04/16

Five years ago (almost exactly five years ago, actually) was the first time I saw Explosions in the Sky live, and to this day I would count it among one of the best shows I have ever seen. So when the band announced a Vancouver show on their current tour, in support of their latest album The Wilderness, I knew there was no way I was going to miss it. They were playing a pair of shows at the Commodore Ballroom, the first of which was sold out.  

Unfortunately I was delayed getting in, so I missed the opener Only Wolf, getting inside the venue as he was leaving the stage. But it wasn't long after that before the Austin, Texas five piece took the stage, Munaf Rayani stepping up to the sole microphone and thanking us for coming, before they launched into the music, not saying another word until the show was over. 
Their set was an hour and a half of a post-rock symphony, with songs seamlessly flowing into one another, the explosive peaks and the simmering lows of each song barely giving the audience time to catch their breaths. They evoked intense emotions without a single lyric sung, and had the sold out room hanging on their every note; no easy feat for an instrumental band.

I also wanted to talk about the lighting, because I feel it played an integral part of the atmosphere to the show. When they began, they were backlit, just silhouetted among the fog, and as the show went on the lights pulsed and faded along with the music, a row of lights surrounded the band, pointing straight up through the ample smoke; just enough to make it moody, not too much you couldn't see. The lights danced around the band, at one point even shimmering like the Aurora Borealis, and combined with the fog catching the lights it created an almost otherworldly feel, a perfect mood to match their music. 

Throughout the set they played mostly from their new album, starting off with the opening track, "Wilderness", and my current favourite "Logic of a Dream" being a highlight part way through the set. Older tunes were peppered in as well, with "The Birth and Death of the Day" and "Greet Death". The hour and a half flew by like nothing before they closed with "The Only Moment We Were Alone" from the album The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, and as the song fading down to near-death, the band was once more silhouetted in blue smoke, before erupting into an intense wail of guitars and cacophony of drums, somehow managing to top the intensity of the last hour, culminating with an ending that involuntarily made me actually exclaim, out loud, "Holy shit!" as soon as they finished. 

And clearly the rest of the Commodore felt the same, as there was thunderous cheers when Rayani once more stepped up to the microphone, thanked us again for coming, hoping he'd see us again the next night, for their second of two shows, as people chanted for one more song. But to be honest, it was pretty much the perfect ending and I was more than content than they left it there.

setlist
Wilderness
Catastrophe and the Cure
The Ecstatics
Greet Death
Logic of a Dream
The Birth and Death of the Day
With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept
Colors in Space
Your Hand in Mine
Disintegration Anxiety
The Only Moment We Were Alone

The Strumbellas @ The Roxy -- 08/15/16

Last night was a special, invite-only/win-to-get-in show from The Strumbellas at The Roxy, presented by Jim Beam. The special VIP passes (which all three of us here at 3amR managed to finagle) included a bourbon tasting beforehand and a meet & greet with the band, before they took over the small club. 

But ahead of them, opening the night, was Toronto's Luke Austin. Joined by his band, they played some pretty straight forward, high-energy rock n roll. They were a strong opening band, their songs blending together a little bit, but definitely got the crowd pumped up. Especially with a cover of "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (or perhaps channelling Tina Turner's version) with somehow segued into "Lose Yourself" be Eminem, quite possibly the first time that combination has been mashed up. 

It wasn't long then before The Strumbellas hit the stage, the six members (donning wigs and hats they found backstage) starting off with "Wars" from their latest album Hope, which has been huge for the band. The band focused mostly on that and their previous We Still Move On Dance Floors as the band bubbled over with enthusiasm for the intimate crowd.
The set was full of their spot-on harmonies on songs like "Home Sweet Home" and fun, stomp-and-clap along songs like "End of an Era", with a little bit of darkness underneath their "Folk Popgrass" sound.
Other highlights included the raucous "Young & Wild", violinist Izzy Ritchie taking over a little on vocals for "Rhinestone", and, not to be upstaged by Luke Austin's Eminem, lead singer Simon Ward slipped a quick rap verse into "Did I Die?"
They ended the show with a nice one-two punch of the Platinum selling single "Spirits" with people singing along, and finally ending off with the anthemic "Shovels and Dirt" as they built to a powerful climax to end off the night. 

The Strumbellas are a really enjoyable band to watch live, and if you missed the show last night, do I have good news for you. Just this morning they announced a tour, including another Vancouver show on October 16th, joined by none other than The Zolas at the Commodore. That should be a helluva night. 

setlsit
Wars
End Of An Era
Young & Wild
We Don't Know
Home Sweet Home
Did I Die?
Wild Sun
Rhinestone
The Hired Band
The Long Road
Spirits
Shovels and Dirt

HIGHS @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 07/19/16

Last time Toronto's HIGHS was in town, opening for We Are The City, was ahead of the release of their latest album Dazzle Camouflage, and the band was teasing the new material. Now that the album has been released, they returned to Vancouver for their very own headlining show at the Biltmore Cabaret. 

I was running late and missed all of Douse's set, as well as part of locals Smash Boom Pow. I caught the tail end of the duo's set with some solid rock. 

Soon after, the five members of HIGHS took the stage, in front of a floral curtain draped across the back of the stage (and some of the equipment on stage) for a nice atmosphere. They played their entire new album, and a couple from their previous EP, for a set full of fun and upbeat art-rock songs. 
Guitarist Doug Haynes, took care of most vocal duties, but keyboardist Karrie Douglas and Joel Harrower, also on guitar, not only harmonized, but also took centre stage for a couple songs, their voices complimenting each other nicely. 
Highlights of the set included the more intense "Gabriel (Blind Boy)" and "Careful", building from the simmering "Interlude" to burst in a show of harmonies, as well as my favourite of theirs, the joyous and bouncy song that hooked me on the band, "Summer Dress". 
Appropriately enough, the band wrapped up the set with the final song from the album, the swirling "Gold Teeth", finishing off and not bothering with the faux encore tradition. 

It was an energetic and fun set from the band, and I am really looking forward to seeing them again in the future. 

setlist
Closetalkers
Handsome Man
So Sad, Never Mad
Portugal
Gabriel (Blind Boy) 
Interlude
Careful
Nomads
Summer Dress
Acting Strange
I Do, Do You?
Easy
Gold Teeth