Elisapie @ Vogue Theatre -- March 12, 2026

Last night, Elisapie returned to Vancouver for a (rare seated) show at the Vogue Theatre in celebration of her album Inuktitut. The 2023 collection of covers saw Inuk singer reinterpret some classic song, translating them to Inuktitut, and went on to be short-listed for the Polaris Prize and net Elisapie Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year at the JUNOs.

With no opener for the night, the lights dimmed and Jean-Sébastien Williams (guitar), Joshua Toal (bass) and Gregory Fitzgerald (drums) took the stage, followed by Elisapie herself. They started off with “Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)” and wove through her album Inuktitut giving her own take on pop hits like “Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time)”, the darker “Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)”, and sharing her love of Leonard Cohen with “Taimaa Qimatsiniungimat (Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye)”.

Throughout the set, Elisapie told personal stories about some of the songs and why she chose to cover them. Her gorgeous rendition of “Sinnatuumait (Dreams)” was dedicated to her brother, who passed away in a fire when she was young, and “Qimatsilunga (I Want to Break Free)” was for her cousin, who tragically took his own life. The latter especially took on an entirely new meaning with her performance, bringing a tear to my eye as Elisapie danced around the stage as her cousin would have loved. Which is the special thing about this album, many of the covers take on a brand new life as Elisapie not only performs them in her own style, but also injectes them with her own experience and emotions.

As well as the covers, she slipped in some songs from her previous album, The Ballad Of The Runaway Girl, like “Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules” which brought everyone to their feet, and one of my favourites of the set, “Qanniuguma” building to an intense finish with everyone clapping along.

The main set came to an end with Elisapie and her band all gathering at the front of the stage for an acapella “Qaisimalaurittuq (Wish You Were Here)”, getting everyone to hum along as her beautiful voice filled the theatre, and then slowly leaving the stage one by one as the crowd continued on to the empty spotlight. But they were quickly back for one more song, as Elisapie was visibly thrilled and emotional to be playing the theatre, finishing off the night with “Quviasukkuvit (If It Makes You Happy)”.

A couple years ago, I was able to see Elisapie perform her Uvattini show, which was one of my favourites of the year. Before last night, I was wondering how this would compare to the multimedia performance, but I shouldn’t have worried. Even without the visuals of that show, Elisapie’s masterful storytelling, incredible voice, and powerful performance created a wonderful evening.

setlist
Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)
Taimangalimaaq (Time After Time)
Call of the Moose
Californiamut (Going to California)
Isumagijunnaitaungituq (The Unforgiven)
Sinnatuumait (Dreams)
Wolves Don’t Live by the Rules
Qanniuguma
Arnaq
Taimaa Qimatsiniungimat (Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye)
Qimatsilunga (I Want to Break Free)
Qaisimalaurittuq (Wish You Were Here)
(encore)
Quviasukkuvit (If It Makes You Happy)

July Talk: Touch X Tour @ Commodore Ballroom -- March 11, 2026

Ten years ago, Toronto rockers July Talk released their acclaimed sophomore album Touch. And to celebrate the anniversary, they’ve released a deluxe vinyl as well as embarked on the Touch X Tour with not one, but two stops at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.

Opening the night was Vancouver’s own Gay Nineties. The band recently returned from a hiatus, as Parker Bossley, Bruce Ledingham, Malcolm Holt, and Pascal Le Vasseur took the stage with a mix of old & new songs. From the incendiary “Hold Your Fire” to new teases with “Tidal Wave”, the band is as sharp as ever, with Bossley hinting at a new album coming soon.
After Parker and Pascal swapped guitar & bass, they slipped in a cover of the 80s classic “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx, which lead into the brand new single, “Internet, Sex & Drugs” before an old favourite “Letterman”, the soaring chorus bringing the set to a huge finish. If the new tunes are any indication, I will be looking forward tot he new album!

It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed and a montage of clips about the word ‘touch’ played over the speakers, with July Talk hitting the stage; singers Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay Goldstein, guitarist Ian Docherty, bassist Josh Warburton, drummer Danny Miles, and Dani Nash on percussion.

They started off the set by playing Touch in full, immediately launching into the first track “Picturing Love” before Peter welcomed to everyone, including 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and giving a land acknowledgement. Leah then adding they were going to put their money where their collective mouths are with a donation to the Urban Native Youth Association, before going back into the album with “Beck + Call”. From the explosive “Now I Know” to the eerie “Strange Habit”, and my favourite, the steamy “Lola + Joseph”, they burst through the album with an unparalleled energy and Peter + Leah’s contrasting vocals blending together beautifully.

After the simmering slow burn of the title track, they slipped in “Love’s Not Dead”, a b-side from that era (also the name of the bonus album that is included with the new vinyl). Peter then exclaimed “that was the album, now let’s party!” and they immediately launched into a favourite of mine, the frenetic “Summer Dress” with the sold out room singing along. True to his word, the band kept the party going for the second half of the set, delving through their catalogue from “Certain Father” off their latest album Remember Never Before, back to their self-titled debut with “I Am Water”.

They wrapped up the set with the incredible catchy singalong “Paper Girl”, which they said they hadn’t played in a while, and were soon back for a couple more with everyone joining in. First with another one of my favourites, the explosive “Guns + Ammunition”, and one last rager with “The Garden”.

The first time I saw July Talk was a little over ten years ago, on that very stage at the Commodore (opening for Matt Mays in 2013). They immediately hooked me with their raucous music and exciting live show, and if anything, that’s only been amplified over the last decade. Peter and Leah have an incredible stage chemistry, and even visibly pregnant she was stalking around the stage, dancing, and singing with Peter & other bandmates. They’re back at the Commodore tonight (March 12) so hopefully you can make it there.

setlist
Picturing Love
Beck + Call
Now I Know
Johnny + Mary
Strange Habit
Push + Pull
Lola + Joseph
So Sorry
Jesus Said So
Touch
Love’s Not Dead
Summer Dress
Gentleman
My Neck
Certain Father
I Am Water
Paper Girl
(encore)
Guns + Ammunition
The Garden

Jenn Grant: Cradled by the Waves @ BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts -- March 07, 2026

This past Friday, Jenn Grant released her new album, Queen of the Strait (which is currently only available on bandcamp) and embarked on a very special tour called Cradled by the Waves.

The show was promised to be a multimedia experience, and it started immediately on entering the theatre; everyone received a small envelope with a card & pencil and the screen behind the stage was playing a loop of waves crashing on the beach.

After a quick introduction the members of Jenn Grant’s band took the stage, including an “anonymous entity” who provided interpretive dance throughout the show. A lone telephone on a stool rang and Grant emerged to answer, having a conversation with her younger self by way of old camcorder footage on the screen.

This lead into the title track from the autobiographical album, “Queen of the Strait”, going through the whole LP over the course of the evening. Spanning from her childhood with the deceptively upbeat “Daddy and His Shotgun” through her 20s with the moody “Crazy”, touching on heartbreak in “Nobody Knows” and darker subject matters, with the raw emotion of “Put It On A Shelf”.

Between each song Jenn talked about the album, telling stories from her life and showing more footage. She sought advice from her mother through old home movies, gave cooking tips from an appearance on the CBC — while also sharing a recipe of her own for ‘Postpartum Souffle’ — and even included footage from an old TV show where she and her brother were trying to get their family dog adopted, leading into “I Hate The Violin”. Jenn also told the incredible story behind her single “Jim Cuddy Dress”, her mother meeting the Blue Rodeo singer at the Juno’s shortly before passing away, and asking to be buried in the dress she was wearing that night. During the heartfelt song, the picture of them together appeared on screen behind the band.

After a conversation with (archival footage of) her grandfather Daniel J. MacDonald, she asked everyone to take out the slip of paper they received and write down something that gives them hope, which would be collected after the show. While we did that, she slipped off stage for a quick change, then was back for the gorgeous “Seaglass”.

As the show was wrapping up, Grant took a moment to thank everyone responsible, including projectionist Jose Garcia-Lozano and cinematographer (& brother) Daniel Grant, then everyone on stage: Kim Harris on keys, her partner Daniel Ledwell on guitar, Jamie Kronick on drums, and Carlie Howell on bass (saving her til last to sing happy birthday), as well as the ‘anonymous entity’ Tanya Davis. Jenn then announced the last song, joking that a certain Dan in the audience once told her that he rarely did encored any more, and closed with another ode to her mother “Take Me To The Movies”, accompanied by old footage of her family at a fair and riding a small roller coaster.

Jenn Grant is a great songwriter with an incredible voice, but also an effortlessly charming storyteller, both in song and on stage. Many artists give a peek into their personal lives & themselves through their music and on stage, but with the new album Queen of the Strait & this show Cradled by the Waves, she took that to the next level for a fantastic show.

setlist
Queen Of The Strait
I Hate The Violin
Daddy and His Shotgun
Crazy
Ladies Night
Nobody Knows
Gonna Be Free
Jim Cuddy Dress
Put It On A Shelf
Seaglass
Take Me To The Movies

Kathleen Edwards @ Commodore Ballroom -- February 27, 2026

A few months ago, Kathleen Edwards released her sixth album Billionaire and last night she returned to the Commodore Ballroom on her Winter Tour. The last time I saw her was a stripped down show at the Biltmore (and the last time before that, was prior to her hiatus from music) so I was eager to see her again with a full band.

Unfortunately I missed the opener, Altameda, but at 9 sharp, “Thank You For Being a Friend” blast over the speakers as Kathleen Edwards took the stage, joined by her band: Gord Tough on guitar, Aaron Goldstein on pedal steel, Paul Lauren on keys, Matt Sucich on bass, and Peter Von Althen on drums.

Edwards started the set with “Say Goodbye, Tell No One” off her latest album, and tore through her catalogue, from the classic “One More Song the Radio Won’t Like” off her debut Failer, to “Glenfern” from her comeback album Total Freedom (switching out the Horseshoe in the lyrics and name dropping the Railway). Other highlights included an emotionally charged “Asking for Flowers”; Kathleen breaking out the violin for “A Soft Place to Land” and song building to a gorgeous finish; the vitriolic “Back To Me” which started out with just Edwards before the band kicked in; and “Little Red Ranger” where she was careful to make sure the audience had some sympathy when mentioning the Leafs.

Edwards chatted with the crowd between songs, opening up a few times during the set mentioning the last time she was on this stage she was in a bad place (it was in 2012 and she went on her hiatus not long after) but the Commodore was one of her favourite venues and she’s happy to replace those memories. She also shared a story about a couple friends & employees from Quitters, one who was the photographer for the new album cover & working merch that night, and one who suddenly passed away recently & was the inspiration for the absolutely heartbreaking “Billionaire”, which had Kathleen’s voice soaring over the room and bringing tears to eyes.

After another favourite, the raw and rocking “Change the Sheets” and throwback to the “Six O’Clock News”, Edwards wrapped up the set with “Hard on Everyone”, but was soon back out for the encore. First, she dedicated “Goodnight, California” to the show’s promoter who she went to elementary school with(!), and saw the band going all out for the finish, then capped the night off with a fun Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover, “Powderfinger”.

By the time the show ended, I didn’t realise she had played for nearly two hours. With her effortless & charming stage presence and incredible songwriting — as well as the phenomenal music chops of her backing band — the show flew by and I could’ve listened to her sing all night.

setlist
Say Goodbye, Tell No One
Save Your Soul
One More Song the Radio Won’t Like
Glenfern
Mint
Asking for Flowers
A Soft Place to Land
When the Truth Comes Out
In State
Back To Me
Little Red Ranger
Billionaire
Options Open
Change the Sheets
Six O’Clock News
Hard on Everyone
(encore)
Goodnight, California
Powderfinger [Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover]

PHOTOS: Rich Hope with Jody Glenham, Janky Bungag at Rickshaw Theatre - February 20, 2026

Rich Hope with Jody Glenham, Janky Bungag
Rickshaw Theatre
February 20, 2026

Christine McAvoy Photography