Said the Whale - 20th Anniversary Show @ Hollywood Theatre -- April 11, 2026

A couple years ago Said the Whale played a special anniversary show at the Hollywood Theatre to celebrate 10 years of the album hawaiii, and had so much fun they teased making it an annual thing. Well, here we are in year three and not only are they back, but they’re also celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band with a sold out show!

Opening the night was the youngest Canadian band to ever be signed to a record label, Blue Jay Valley, comprised of five kids between grades 5 and 7. Joking that they weren’t even allowed to be in the venue, the punk rock group hit all the songs off their debut album Breakaway, including the catchy “Living in the City”, the raucous “No School”, and my favourite of the set, “Snow Day”. They also had everyone singing along when they slipped in some covers, like Gob’s “I Hear You Calling” and “Hate to Say I Told You So” by The Hives.
The crowd was all in on the band as they blast through their fun and high energy set, with lead singer Noa even doing the worm at one point!

It wasn’t long after that when Said the Whale hit the stage, starting off surprisingly with the deep-cut favourite, “Love Is Art / Sleep Through Fire” then going all the way back to Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia with “Fish and Stars II”. They celebrated their twenty years by hitting all of their ‘eras’, from the high energy joy of “Emerald Lake, AB” and “I Will Follow You” to the darker “This City’s a Mess” and “UnAmerican” and everything in between, as they also shared some quick stories (and/or teased each other for talking too long) between songs.

Partway through the set, drummer Spencer Schoening and bassist Lincoln Hotchen took leave for the ‘acoustic portion’, with Tyler Bancroft shouting out Blue Jay Valley and then dedicating “Level Best” to his own kids, Ben Worcester doing the gorgeous “Lover/Friend”, and Jaycelyn Brown taking the spotlight on keys for the absolutely beautiful “February 15” for her husband.

The rhythm section returned as “99 to the Moon” ramped up the energy, with other highlights including Ben stalking the stage, full of emotion on “Wake Up” and an older favourite of mine, the raw “My Government Heart” with Tyler spitting the lyrics through gritted teeth.

After an explosive “I Love You” they finished the main set with “Goodnight Moon”, starting soft and sweet before bursting with a joyous singalong. But they were quickly back for a couple more; first “Dandelion” and then the chilling “Curse of the Currents”, with Ben urging everyone to “sing along like you’re at a Dan Mangan show!” and the crowd happy to oblige.

When they teased making these shows an annual event, I said I’d be there in a heartbeat, and I was very happy to see them at the Hollywood for the third year in a row. 20 years later the band is still rocking, with a clear passion for being on stage and especially for everyone there with them.

Said the Whale setlist
Love Is Art / Sleep Through Fire
Fish and Stars II
The Banks of the English Bay
Emerald Lake, AB
I Will Follow You
UnAmerican
The Light Is You
B.C. Orienteering
Camilo (The Magician)
This City’s a Mess
Resolutions
Better for You
Big Sky, MT
Level Best
Lover/Friend
A Cold Night Close To The End
February 15
99 to the Moon
Wake Up
Black Day in December
My Government Heart
Honey Lungs
I Love You
Goodnight Moon
(encore)
Dandelion
Curse of the Currents

Blue Jay Valley setlist
BJV
I Hear You Calling [Gob cover]
Blitzkrieg Bop [Ramones cover]
Living In The City
Oh!
Breakaway
Hate to Say I Told You So [The Hives cover]
No School
Snow Day

PHOTOS: Shad with Francis Arevalo at the Hollywood Theatre - January 17, 2026

Shad (with Francis Arevalo)
Hollywood Theatre
January 17, 2026

Photos by Christine McAvoy

Basia Bulat @ Hollywood Theatre -- April 30, 2025

In February, Basia Bulat released her latest studio album, Basia’s Palace. And last night, the singer returned to the Hollywood Theatre to celebrate!

Unfortunately I missed opener Maia Friedman, arriving a few minutes before Basia Bulat hit the stage with her band consisting of Andrew Woods (her partner) on guitar, Joshua Toal on bass, and Matthew Woodley on drums.

Basia took a seat behind the keys, immediately showing off her gorgeous vocals with “Are You In Love?”, and from there jumped between instruments and through her catalogue; picking up her signature autoharp on “My Angel”, the lead track off the new album, and the acoustic guitar for one of my favourites, the incomparable “Infamous”.

She dedicated “Laughter” to her (and Andrew’s) daughters, and after the song burst into a huge finish, the band took a break while Basia fielded a few requests solo. She took some deep cuts from her debut full length, including the title track “Oh, My Darling” and “Snakes & Ladders” to celebrate the album’s release 18 years ago, to the day.

The band returned for a few more, including my favourite off the new album, “Disco Polo” honouring the musical influences from her parents, and the simmering intensity of “Tall Tall Shadows”, Bulat once again letting loose on vocals. After the upbeat “Baby”, the set wrapped up with “Love is at the End of the World”, which featured each member of the band taking the spotlight for a solo.

But you knew there had to be more — for one thing, there was still one instrument on stage that hadn’t been used yet (Chekhov’s Charango, if you will). And so the band retuned with the rousing “In the Name Of” and “If It Rains”, dedicated to Vancouver. Finally, she pulled the trigger on the charango for the beautiful “It Can’t Be You”, as Basia stepped away from the mic to let her voice fill the theatre, and then off the stage entirely as she made her way through the audience and all the way up to the back section of the Hollywood, leading the crowd in an ambitious singalong to end the night.

A few months after the aforementioned release of Oh, My Darling, I saw Basia Bulat for the first time, opening for Final Fantasy (when that was still his name) playing at Richard’s on Richards (when that was still a place). I was instantly a fan, and every time I’ve seen her live since then, I am reminded of both how fantastic a musician she is, and how charming a performer she is.

setlist
Are You In Love?
Heart of My Own
My Angel
Fool
Infamous
Already Forgiven
Laughter
Oh, My Darling
Snakes and Ladders
The Garden
Run
The Moon
Disco Polo
Tall Tall Shadow
Baby
Love is at the End of the World
(encore)
In the Name Of
If It Rains
It Can’t Be You

JunoFest Vancouver @ Various Venues -- March 28-29, 2025

The JUNO Awards returned to Vancouver this year, and that means all week there have been celebrations of Canadian music, leading up to tonight’s big award show. But even more importantly, it means JUNOfest took place! Over the course of two days, hundreds of bands from all across the country piled into multiple venues around the city. I knew there was no chance of seeing everyone I wanted to — in the end I saw about half — but I did luck out when five of those bands were playing the same venue on the same night!

So on Friday night I made my way down to Red Gate where the night kicked off with Babe Corner. Their dreamy vocals and hazy guitars filled the room, from the incredibly catchy “Summer Slaughter” to the chill “Bianca”. After a pair of brand new songs “I'm Like U” and “Feels Like” — released earlier this month — they wrapped up the all-too-short set with the perpetually infectious “Cigarette”.

Following them was Tariq, who I haven’t seen perform live in some time; especially not since his sound changed from singer/songwriter to darker & heavier. Backed by some familiar faces (Robert Chursinoff, Peter Carruthers, and Adam Nanji) he played songs off his latest EP, Scroll Before You Sleep, like the slow-burn of “The Ballad of You and Me” and “Architect's Studio”, with Tariq strutting around the stage. After the new wave vibes of “Migration Song”, the set came to a close with a tempestuous finish for “Hail Storm”.

Next up was the performer I was most looking forward to over the weekend, as I had yet to see Toronto’s Housewife perform live. Brighid Fry took the stage alone for a solo set with a borrowed guitar (which broke earlier in the day, but luckily it was Kylie V to the rescue lending theirs). Fry’s indie-pop songs were no less catchy stripped down, as they launched into “Life Of The Party” off their new EP, Girl Of The Hour. Their voice rang through the room on “Fuck Around Phase” and they poured their heart out with “I Lied”. Even alone on stage, Fry was incredibly captivating, as they wrapped up the set with the “Matilda”, the most upbeat song you’ll hear about a stolen bike.

Immediately after Housewife finished, I ran down the street to the Anza Club to see Peter Dreams backed by MOONRIIVR. Sadly, I missed the first song or two, getting there as the July Talk singer launched in to “Keep Me Free” from his debut solo album. Throughout the set, Peter barely stood still, emoting on stage, and even hopping off to minge with the crowd up front, pleading at them to “Come Save Me”. His distinctive growl boomed throughout the room on “Forget Yer Name”, and he capped off the the beautiful song “Vigilant”, made even more heartwarming by his introduction.

Then it was back to Red Gate as Miesha and the Spanks hit the stage. Miesha Louie and drummer Sean Hamilton were clad in matching leopard print as they rocked out, starting the set off with “Lost Boys” and barely taking the foot off the gas. The duo blasted through songs that reverberated through your chest, like the summer jam “I Can’t Wait” and the vitriolic “So Mad”. After the raw “First Love, First Blood”, they ended with “Heart Is On Fire”, Sean bolting off stage with a cymbal stand, crashing it through the crowd before giving it to a friend & hopping back on the kit.

And finally, my Friday night ended with Skye Wallace, who kept up the energy with “There Is a Wall” — especially impressive for the midnight start time. Skye blasted through songs off their latest, The Act of Living, including the gritty “Tough Kid”, my fave from the album, “Momentum”, and their powerful voice asking “What Is Real?” Skye snuck a new song into the set called “Iced Tea” with a nice groove, and after a throwback to the raucous “Mean Song 2”, the band somehow cranked it up to another level for the closer, “Coal In Your Window”.

---

Unfortunately, I had the opposite luck on Saturday night, with almost everyone I wanted to see playing at the same time, so some hard decisions had to be made.

The first stop of the evening was the Hollywood Theatre, arriving just in time for ZADA. With her soulful, R&B inspired groove, ZADA stalked across the stage getting everyone moving with songs that ranged from the gentle “Sweet Things In Life” to the more upbeat “Snakes and Ladders”. Other standouts of the set were the simmering “Highways and Borders” and the final song of the set “Walls”.

Soon after, Hey Ocean! hit the stage, which was adorned with balloons, kicking off the set with “If I Were A Ship” and celebrating their 20 years as a band. From songs off their most recent album like “Sleepwalker” all the way back to “Liar”, they hit most of their catalogue, even slipping in a medley of songs off their breakthrough album It’s Easier To Be Somebody Else; including “A Song About California”, “Fish”, “Too Soon” and others. After one of my faves, “Jolene” they sped to the end (thanks to the show’s curfew) getting everyone to move with “Make a New Dance Up” and “Big Blue Wave”, and ending with a sweet singalong to an old favourite, “Alleyways”.

From there I raced across the city to the Cobalt, arriving just as Jo Passed took the stage. Their grungy, garage rock was a perfect fit for the venue, as the guitars shrieked and drums clattered, though a few times Jo’s voice seemed a little lost in the mix. The energy off the set ebbed and flowed nicely, as Jo only paused a couple times to thank everyone and joke between songs, before they finished with the latest single released earlier this year, “Weekend” building to a explosive end.

After them was Vancouver (by way of Argentina and Britain) band Bloom Effect. Their dreamy, shoegaze set washed over the crowd, as Jula Lafit sang in Spanish and English (but like Jo, occasionally the vocals were a bit low). I didn’t really know much about the band prior to the set; I had heard one of their singles last year & liked it, so when I saw they were on after Jo Passed, decided to stick around to check them out live. I enjoyed what I heard and will definitely have to check out their new EP, portents.

And with that, JUNOfest was done for me this year. After seeing 10 bands across four venues over two nights, I couldn’t have asked for a better celebration of Canadian music.

Said the Whale @ Hollywood Theatre -- March 08, 2025

Last year at the 10th anniversary celebration for their album hawaiii, Said the Whale teased the idea of an annual show. And always a band of their word, last night they returned to the Hollywood Theatre for a show they jokingly dubbed “SaidCon”. The night started with the band coming on stage and introducing the openers… themselves! as they started with three 20 minute solo sets.

Jaycelyn Brown was up first, opening with “February 15”, her track off the band’s latest album Dandelion. She previewed a few more songs, including an absolutely gorgeous song called “Duet of the Cardinals” and “The Bird”, which she had been working on for ten years(!) before finally finishing last week. She teased wanting to release a solo album of her piano songs, but joked she just needed a deadline. Maybe next year’s show?

Next up was Ben Worcester with a selection of rarities. He played a couple that hadn’t been heard live before, as his voice soared over the room with songs like “Big Sky, MT” and the b-side “Brother, Cousin, Kin”, before wrapping up his portion by inviting Tyler up to join him on “This Winter I Retire Lyrics”.

Tyler Bancroft closed out the solo sets, first joined by Jaycelyn for “99 to the Moon” and then a song for his kids, “Level Best”. He also went deep into the band’s catalogue for some old favourites, “Howe Sounds” and “Live Off Lamb”, and joked that “Cascadia” hit a little different now considering… everything.

Bancroft started “This City's a Mess” on his own, but was slowly joined by Jaycelyn and Ben, as well as Lincoln Hotchen on bass and drummer Spencer Schoening as the song burst to a wild finish, and they smoothly transitioned into the main set, immediately rocking out with “Camilo (The Magician)”.

The crux of this show was a fan poll the band put up weeks before the show, so people attending could vote on what they heard. They hit the #1 song early with an old favourite, “Black Day in December”, while occasionally referring to the poll throughout the night. Especially when it came time for the deepest cut, singling out a friend who has requested the intricate “Fucks to Give” late in the set.

The requests spanned their whole oeuvre, from the singalongs of “B.C. Orienteering” and “False Creek Change” to the raucous “Honey Lungs” and even Spencer taking the spotlight to play acoustic guitar and sing for “Seasons”. Other highlights included a couple of my personal favourites, the gritty & raw “My Government Heart” which I don’t think I’ve heard from the band in some time, and “Love is Art / Sleep Through Fire”, a chill-inducing live-show staple.

After the infectious “I Love You”, Tyler declared he had no use for the performative obligatory encore anymore (which, thank you) and announced they had a couple left and that was it — but would be around after the show to hang and chat — before going into a rarely played classic “Taking Abalonia” and ending off with the joyous “Goodnight Moon”, the entire room singing along.

I feel like there are very few bands that do as much for (and with) their fans as Said the Whale. Not just the fact that this show happened, but the poll to vote for the setlist, and the promise to mingle with the crowd after the show — luckily there wasn’t another event tat evening, unlike last year. I’m not sure if they’re going to continue this as a yearly tradition, but if they are, I know I’ll be there.

setlists

Jaycelyn Brown
February 15
Cassiopeia
Duet of the Cardinals
The Bird

Ben Worcester
Narrows
[New Song]
Big Sky, MT
Brother, Cousin, Kin
This Winter I Retire Lyrics (with Tyler)

Tyler Bancroft
99 to the Moon (with Jaycelyn)
Level Best
Broken Man
Howe Sounds
Cascadia
Live Off Lamb
This City's a Mess

Full Band
Camilo (The Magician)
Step Into the Darkness
Black Day in December
B.C. Orienteering
I Will Follow You
My Government Heart
Wake Up
The Reason
Loveless
Honey Lungs
Seasons
False Creek Change
The Light Is You
The Ocean
Everything She Touches is Gold to Me
Show Me Everything
Love Is Art / Sleep Through Fire
Fucks to Give
I Love You
Taking Abalonia
Goodnight Moon