Arkells @ Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena-- 02/01/17

Watching a band grow from playing the Biltmore to Venue to the Commodore to festivals and now arenas is something special. And that's the journey I've followed of one of Canada's hardest working bands, Arkells. They kicked off the Canadian portion of their Morning Report tour last night at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena last night, their first ever show headlining an arena. 

And the brought along with them a special guest, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls. Turner started on stage along with "I Still Believe", The Sleeping Souls slowly joining him to launch into a big singalong, the first of the night with the rapidly filling floor section joining in. And if you follow either/both bands on social media, you have seen their friendship, so it's no surprise that during the very first song Max from Arkells came out to play a bit of harmonica.
The rest of the set was filled with high energy Brit-Rock with Turner's almost-manic stage presence, with songs like the defiant "Photosynthesis" and the incredibly catchy "Recovery". 
Part way through the set, Turner brought a girl onstage to play a harmonica solo, the twist being it was a random fan from the front row who had pretty much never played harmonica
(I offhandedly joked he "Bruce Springsteen'd a Courtney Cox" which would turn out to be eerily prescient later on).
As the set came to a close, Turner went into the crowd with "Four Simple Words" starting off as a slow waltz as Frank went into the thick of the crowd to dance with random people, before hitting the throttle as the song turned punk for a fiery ending. 
After thanking us again Frank & the band left the stage to while Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" played, and I hope that's the case because I liked what I saw. 

As the floor and the stands continued to fill, it was soon time for the Hamilton fivesome, Arkells, taking the stage to Edwin Starr's "War" and kicking off with a song perhaps chosen specifically for Vancouver, "A Little Rain (A Song For Pete)". 
From the raucous songs like "Oh, The Boss is Coming" to "And Then Some" with the band acoustically huddled together; the dark and brooding "Passenger Seat" to the gospel-tinged "Drake's Dad" -- which saw frontman Max Kerman smack in the middle of the crowd -- the band played for about two hours, pulling from all their albums, never losing steam. Especially Max, who I don't think stopped moving for more than 30 seconds. 

They also had a few special guests through the set; first Frank Turner come out and "defend his PhD in Rock 'n' Roll" by putting him on the spot to sing some Springsteen (remember what I said earlier?), and Said the Whale's Tyler Bancroft was out to play guitar for "My Heart's Always Yours". And then in a true "Dancing in the Dark" moment, Max pulled up a girl from the front row to dance with him to "Dirty Blonde" before all the lights went out while the band encouraged everyone to literally dance like no one was watching. 

They finished off the main set with Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls back out to join them on "Private School", but of course that wasn't going to be it. The encore began with an acoustic rendition of "Whistleblower", the band rejoining Max one by one, before one last singalong of the night, and the biggest yet, "Leather Jacket". 

It's been years since I've been to an arena show -- to be honest, I'm not really a big fan of them -- but if anyone's going to bring me out to an arena, it's Arkells. The sound wasn't nearly as bad as I was fearing, and of course the band was explosive on stage. They've always been one of my favourite bands to watch live, and it was such a joy seeing them rock the big stage. 10

setlist
A Little Rain (A Song For Pete)
Came to Light
Michigan Left
Savannah
Passenger Seat
Never Thought That This Would Happen
11:11
Making Due
Hung Up
And Then Some
Oh, The Boss Is Coming
Pulling Punches
Drake's Dad
The Ballad of Hugo Chavez
My Heart's Always Yours
Book Club
On Paper
Dirty Blonde
Private School
(encore)
Whistleblower
Cynical Bastards
Leather Jacket

Holy Fuck @ Fortune -- 01/19/17

It's been too song since I last saw the Toronto electronic four-piece live... about seven and a half years, in fact. So when they came through Fortune touring their latest album, Congrats, I sure wasn't going to miss it. 

Unfortunately I did miss locals Peregrine Falls due to the Tiny Kingdom Music launch show, happening at the Biltmore, and only arrived to catching a bit of Mesa Luna's DJ set. 

Promptly at 11, the 4 members hit the stage, Matt McQuaid & Matt Schulz on bass & drums, and Brian Borcherdt & Graham Walsh on, well, everything else; keyboards, distorted vocals, effect, pulling 35mm film through an old synchronizer. You know, the usual. The most captivating part of their live show is that their songs are all performed in the moment, creating a spontaneity you may not always get with electronic music.

Starting off with "Tom Tom" from the new album, the band focused mostly on that, which features a little more by way of vocals than their previous albums. Though -- and I'm not sure if this was their intention or I'm wildly off -- the vocals seem more like an "extra instrument" rather than traditional lyrics, especially in the live show where they're as equal in the mix as the music. 

Aside from songs off Congrats, like the soul-shaking bass in "Chimes Broken", they dipped back to play older tunes from their previous albums, with highlights being the sombre and moody "Stay Lit" and the swirling "Red Lights", both from Latin. And, of course, "Lovely Allen" off LP which is one of the most perfect songs ever written. The intensity built and built, lifting up the entire room to an amazing climax. It would have been the perfect ending, but hey still had some left in the tank, finishing off the main set with the frantic "Super Inuit". 

But of course, that wasn't all; after chants of ho-lee-fuck they were back for a couple more, which were (I think) the vaguely creepy and unsettling "Shivering", a perfect song for a Ghost House in Mario, and the fuzzy "SHT MTN". 

Even with minimal talking throughout the night -- not just the vocals, but the band only paused a couple times for a brief "thank you" to the crowd -- the four members managed to keep the crowd into it and dancing the whole night. Which is not always an easy task with (mostly) instrumental music. It set the bar high as the first show of 2017, and I just hope it's not another seven years 'til next time. 

Trans Musicales 2016 - Photos & Recap

The 38th annual Trans Musicales festival took place again this year in Rennes, France, and was spectacular as ever.

I was there during the three main days of the festival (December 1-3, 2017), checking out bands 'til the wee hours of the morning (my latest night went until about 5am!). Artists came from all over the world to be part of a festival that showcases new comers in the field of music, from an array of genres and styles.

Day One had me on the move, traveling directly from Vancouver from the previous day. Two plane rides, a train, and a shuttle bus to the festival site got me there just in time for my first act, Trad.Attack from Estonia!

The rest of the evening saw Il Est Vilaine from Paris, British musician Anna Meredith, HMLTD from London, and Yuksek from France.

After catching up on sleep, I was ready for Day Two. (Side note: I was also taking portraits for Noisey - which you can see by clicking here.)

The second evening at the Parc Expo started off with Fai Baba of Zürich, followed by my first venture into Hall 9 (the HUGE electronic hall) for Con Brio (also from the West Coast, San Francisco), followed by the tag-team DJ duo of DJ Fly/DJ Netik.
Next up was The Barberettes, a doo-wop trio from South Korea (I know, right?!), and continuing the female-led band trend (which Trans is VERY good at representing), the punk rock duo Nova Twins, from East London, PACKED their hall full of people.

The only Canadian in the show, Das Mörtal, was playing the large, sweaty, dance-party hall, and I finished off my night with one of my favourite discoveries of the weekend, New York band PWR BTTM.

The final day was short and sweet for shows (I did a TON of portraits that days), but I managed to catch Helsinki's, Talmud Beach, and then got my brass band fix by the incredibly energetic band Lucky Chops (out of New York). Seriously, check out the full video of the show by clicking here (makes me want to go pick up my saxophone).
I ended my evening with one of my most anticipated acts of the festival - Reykjavíkurdætur. The name literally translates to Daughters of Reykjavík, and they're an all female rap collective from Iceland - and were exactly as spicy and entertaining as I hoped they'd be, even with the language barrier.

I took WAY more photos than the few in the slideshow above - so check them out on our Facebook page by clicking HERE.

Thanks again to Trans Musicales for having me and introducing me to so many more new, and especially international, artists.

Railtown Sessions Finale @ Fox Cabaret -- 12/09/16

A few months ago, local musician Andy Bishop (who you may know from Twin River or White Ash Falls) put together a project with Light Organ Records called the Railtown Sessions. They brought together four Vancouver singer-songwriters to each record a 4 song EP, and then also play the EP live from Light Organ HQ, streaming online. Last night the project culminated with the big finale, and all four artist playing at the Fox Cabaret. 

I think one of the most interesting parts about the lineup is the diversity. From old school country to alt-country; roots to soulful rock, no two of the four artists were really alike. And each of them performed short sets of the songs off the EPs. 

Starting off the night was the country twang of Johnny 99, the alias of John Sponarski, former Portage & Main co-frontman and ace guitar-slinger for people like Aaron Pritchett and Ben Rogers. He was backed by a group of Vancouver all-stars, who were acting as the band for the entire night; Cody Hiles on drums, Colin Cowan on upright & sideways bass, and the Matt Kelly on guitar, keys, and slide. John was also joined by Erik Nielsen on backing vocals, and started with one of the first songs he wrote after going solo, the incredibly catchy "I Wanna Go With my Boots On". He sang with a very country twang to his voice (which, to be honest, took me a second to get past) about love and "That Mean Old Girl" to round out the set.

There was a quick turnaround before Joseph Blood (Bend Sinister member who was also involved in the project) introduced Rob Butterfield next, joined by some backup singers including Debra-Jean Creelman. His set brought the energy up a notch with more of a roots-rocking set. Songs like "Good People" had toes tapping, and the mathematical "One and Two Halves" ended off the first half of the evening. 

After an intermission, it was time for the second half, Sarah Jane Scouten taking the stage, and the backing band joined by Andy Bishop himself. With more of an alt-country bent, her lovely voice drawing you in to "Red Rocking Chair" before turning both the 'honky' and 'tonk' dials up for a fun, up-tempo song called "Bang Bang". She ended off the set with a slower and absolutely heartbreaking "Mount Royal Cemetery", one of my favourites in the whole series. 

And finally, ending out the night was Debra-Jean Creelman. She was also joined by a pair of backup singers, whose names I unfortunately didn't catch, with a set that was the most intense of the night, with touches of Motown soul on songs like "Midnight Sun" and her powerful voice haunting on the darker "Up In Smoke" and soaring for "Maybe They Were Right". It was the perfect set of the four to close out the night. 

I was sure they were going to do some sort of collaborative song or cover to end off the night (my money was on The Band), but the show ran right up til curfew. Even without that it was a nice spotlight of some of Vancouver's talent. Here's to hoping the Railtown Sessions continue on next year. 

Paper Lions @ Biltmore -- 11/26/16

With a brand new album just out, PEI's Paper Lions are crisscrossing the country to celebrate. And as they hit the opposite side of the country, they returned to Vancouver for a show at the Biltmore. 

With them was Toronto band HIGHS, taking the stage in front of a floral curtain draped across the back of the stage. The five-piece focused on their latest album, Dazzle Camouflage, playing their upbeat art-rock songs. Guitarists Doug Haynes & Joel Harrower, and keyboardist Karrie Douglas all took care of vocals, sometimes taking over lead vocals, but frequently harmonizing, their voiced swirling together nicely.
Highlights of the set included the soaring "I Do, Do You?", "Gabriel (Blind Boy)" with a darker intensity, and "Gold Teeth", which brought the set to an explosive ending.  
I've seen them a few times already this year, and they keep putting on fun and energetic sets. Not only that, but they were a great pairing to go with Paper Lions. 

And speaking of, it wasn't long after that Paper Lions showed off a few new elements to their live show, first taking the stage while the projection screen in the back played a test pattern, with their faces intermittently popping in among the colour bars. They also had a few blasts on confetti shot from the sound booth in the back throughout the set. However, thanks to the Biltmore's low ceiling, I don't think they quite had the intended effect, as half the crowd didn't seem to notice. 
But theatrics aside, the now-five-piece band is as tight as ever. Starting off with the ridiculously catchy "Don't Wanna Dance" -- which had the exact opposite effect on the crowd -- showcasing the new album Full Colour with the familiar Paper Lions Folk Pop melded with a touch of 80s influence. 
Aside from other insanely danceable tunes like "Take A Look At My Girl" or slower, more thoughtful songs like "End of July" off the new album, they also dipped back throughout their catalogue with songs like the raucous "Don't Touch That Dial" and "Sandcastles", one of my favourites off the previous album My Friends. 
Part way through the set the band went for a fully acoustic song, not only unplugging, but getting right into the middle of the crowd for "Polly Hill". I thought it would end in disaster, as the noisy crowd at first didn't seem like they were going to shut up. But by the end of the first verse it was silent (or as quiet as the Biltmore gets on a Saturday night) and at the end a good portion of the crowd was singing along for a magical moment. 
As they rocketed towards the curfew they ended off with a nice singalong to "Travelling" and the first single off the new album, "Believer", only to be back out for one more old favourite, whipping the crowd back up for "Lost The War". 

I always love watching great bands grow into the recognition they deserve, and with the memory of watching Paper Lions in a half-full Media Club, it made me very happy to see them playing to a packed Biltmore on a Saturday night. And I have no doubt that they'll be filling larger and larger venues soon enough. 

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

Paper Lions setlsit
Don't Wanna Dance
Pull Me In
Honestly
Call Back
Take a Look at My Girl
Best Out Of You
Philadelphia
Don't Touch That Dial
Polly Hill
Sandcastles
My Friend
End of July
Travelling
Believer
(encore)
Lost The War