Spencer Krug @ St. James -- June 05, 2026

Last month, Spencer Krug released his latest album Same Fangs, and has been on a tour throughout western Canada, culminating with a show here in Vancouver. And as soon as it was announced at St. James Hall, I knew that was the absolute perfect venue to see the prolific singer do a solo piano show.

Opening the night was Elbow Kiss, who was also featured on Krug’s new album. They took the stage alone with an acoustic guitar, starting with “No Way Around” as their lovely voice drifted through the room. Between each song, they told brief stories as introductions, evoking Garry Oak Meadow on “Palm of Your Eye” and the strange manifestation of “Josephine”. They wrapped up with their latest single, “Blue Ember”, and one more transfixing song I didn’t catch the name of, for a wonderful set.

Soon after, Spencer Krug took a seat behind the grand piano on stage. He quipped about starting a show being the hardest part before launching into “The Fog”, his fingers flying over the piano while his howling vocals filled the old church.

From there, he wove through his entire library, touching on releases under his own name like the piano variation of “How We Have to Live”, to when he was Moonface with the powerful intensity of “Barbarian I” and its sequel, and back through a few Sunset Rubdown tunes like “Us Ones In Between”. He even reworked the old Wolf Parade song “I’ll Believe in Anything”, giving it a heart wrenching piano version for its renewed popularity.

Near the end of the set, Elbow Kiss joined him for a few songs off Same Fangs, their voices intertwining beautifully on “Berserker Mode” and playing off each other on the gorgeous “Pinecone King”.

At that point, Krug noted it would be a great time for the encore, jokingly running behind the curtain and immediately reappearing for a pair of my favourites from any of his projects; first the haunting “City Wrecker” and then “Julia With Blue Jeans On”, which always floors me live, but even more so in this venue, as it built to a tear-inducing finish.

As the set was wrapping up, Krug self-effacingly cracked that he was always shocked people watch a man at a piano for so long. But I could’ve watched him play all night, and I don’t think I was the only one. For the whole show, the crowd was completely rapt; silent during each song and then exploding with applause once the final note drifted away, and giving a well deserved ovation once the show was done.

setlist
The Fog
My Puppeteer
How We Have to Live
Fast Peter
Barbarian I
Barbarian II
The Shadow
Us Ones in Between
A Day in the Graveyard II
I’ll Believe in Anything
Timebomb
Berserker Mode
Pinecone King 
”Encore”
City Wrecker
Julia with Blue Jeans On

Unreal City Music Festival @ Russian Hall -- January 16, 2026

Unreal City returned for their second year of celebrating local music, this time spanning three nights — one at the Rickshaw, two at the Russian Hall. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to all three, opting just for the killer lineup on Friday. (Also, somehow I had never been to a show at the Russian Hall, so I was glad to fix that).

I missed the first band of the night, checkedout, arriving just after Bloom Effect started. Clad in all black on a stage bathed in red lights, the trio wove through their dreamy shoegaze, transitioning from one song to the next with barely a break.
Though I feel like both times I’ve seen the band in a real venue (as opposed to a free outdoor show) singer Jula Lafit’s vocals have seemed low in the mix. I’m not sure if it’s for the mood or bad luck on my part, so I am interested to catch them again some time this year.

Next up was Ira Hardly, who started with a laid back, folk sound with songs like “Out of My League” and a cover of “Random Rules” by Silver Jews. But the set had a great flow as it slowly ramped up in energy, as Ira sang about social anxiety or running errands with the raucous “Man of Action” for a fun finish.

Shortly after was Jody Glenham, who was joined by some familiar faces in Michael Slumber and Adam Fink with Florence van Camerijk. She kicked off with some older Mood Rock tunes, the simmering “War On This World” and the incredibly catchy “Talking Out Loud”, even reaching back to the breezy “Ill Wind”. But Jody also teased her upcoming EP with “Love Deficiency Syndrome” which immediately got stuck in my head (a curse for an unreleased song), an ode to ‘third spaces’ with “The Local”, and the just-released “Overtime” which built to a crashing end to the set.
The last few times I’ve seen Jody play were free outdoor shows, so I was happy to catch her indoors again and I am definitely looking forward to the new EP!

As well as the main stage, there was a second stage downstairs, though it was only after Jody I managed to slip down there to hear a little bit of trippy synth punk from the ski-mask clad Phuture Memoriez. I also did not have time to get a quick flash tattoo from the station, as it was soon back upstairs to check out worrywart.
The five piece launched into “hail mary baby” and barely slowed down as they played hard and fast, grungy tunes. The only time they paused was a quick tuning break that ended up with singer Ryley Epp jokingly(?) arguing with the crowd about pizza, but they were quickly back to it with an almost hypnotic build to a chaotic finish.

And finally, to my delight a piano was brough out on stage as it was time for the night’s headliner, Spencer Krug. He started off the set alone with some beautiful piano songs “The Fog” and “My Puppeteer”, before weaving through a set that pulled from most of his career; from the intensity of “Barbarian” from Moonface to Sunset Rubdown’s “A Day In The Graveyard II” and even some new tracks.
Halfway through the set he was joined by frequent collaborator Jordan Koop on electric guitar, whose subtle additions complimented but never overwhelmed, on songs like “Slipping In and Out of the Pool” and one of my favourite Krug songs from any project, the haunting “City Wrecker”.
As the set came to a close, Krug mentioned that one particular Wolf Parade song was “getting a lot of attention recently” due to a certain show about hockey players. And so by request he came up with a reworked piano version, for an absolutely gorgeous rendition of “I’ll Believe in Anything”. I can only hope he ends up recording it for his Patreon or somewhere.

I am always blown away by seeing Spencer Krug live, especially his piano shows, and especially as a cap to a night of some great local acts, where each band felt like they brough a different vibe and sound. I’m sad I can’t make it tonight, but I will absolutely be ready for next year’s Unreal City Fest.

Spencer Krug with Carey Mercer @ Fox Cabaret -- October 18, 2023

Hot off the release of a new album, I Just Drew This Knife, Spencer Krug returned to Vancouver alongside the album’s contributors, Eli Browning and Jordan Koop, for a rainy Wednesday evening show at the Fox Cabaret.

Opening the night was Krug's long-time friend, collaborator, and sometimes-bandmate, Carey Mercer, doing a solo set. Mercer started with a land acknowledgement -- and also acknowledging just everything going on in the world right now -- before delving into “Sound Travels From the Snow to the Dark”. From there he went through a selection of Frog Eyes songs, from the chaotic “Rainbow Stew” off the latest album The Bees, to “Bushels” from Tears of the Valedictorian, his distinctive voice filling the room.
Mercer also teased a few new songs, one which didn’t even have a name yet, as the growing crowd was rapt. One of the more attentive groups I've seen for an opener in some time.

Shortly after, Spencer Krug hit the stage alongside Browning & Koop, and kicked off with “God Knows Why This Is Where I Love You” from I Just Drew This Knife. They played just about the entire new album throughout the show, including the opener “Cry All Day”, their self-proclaimed weirdest, “Taxi After Taxi”, and “Nostalgia Is The Rose”, one of my highlights from the new release. Krug also slipped in a couple other songs from his recent solo albums, like “Slipping In and Out of Thee Pool” and “How We Have to Live”.

Throughout the show, Krug chatted with the crowd, sincerely thanking everyone for coming, but also self-deprecatingly joking he wasn’t a ‘guitar guy’ and admitting that, since the tour had just kicked off, this was only the second time the trio had played together onstage. And you would barely have noticed the fact... had it not been for a bit of a technical malfunction. Partway through the set, there was a catastrophic failure with the drum loops on the laptop, causing the set to come to a halt. But Krug eventually proclaimed “We’ll just fuckin’ figure it out” as they went into “Fading Graffiti” to continue on. There were a couple more hiccups with the laptop as the set went on, but the trio didn’t let it phase them too much, going through a few more from the new album, capping off my other favourite from the release, the soaring “Something About The Real World”.

I’ve seen plenty of shows before where things go wrong, and there are usually two things that will stop things from spiralling into disaster: the band keeping their cool, and the audience being patient. Luckily, this show had both of those in spades, so it only ended up a hiccup in the show. Krug didn’t let his frustrations affect the rest of the set, and everyone in that room was just happy to hear him play.

setlist
God Knows Why This Is Where I Love You
Cry All Day
Orcas
Taxi After Taxi
For Fear That Songs Come True
Slipping In and Out of Thee Pool
My Muscles Are Fine
Fading Graffiti
River River
How We Have to Live
Nostalgia Is The Rose
Love Song
Something About The Real World

Sunset Rubdown @ Rickshaw Theatre -- May 15, 2023

This show has been a long time coming. Not just because the last time Sunset Rubdown played a show in Vancouver was in 2009 (when Richard's on Richards still existed) but since the reunion show was announced, it's gone through two venue upgrades (from the Fox to the Biltmore to the Rickshaw) and one postponement (when the band got stuck at the ferry terminal on Vancouver Island). But the wait was worth it as the long dormant group returned to Vancouver to kick off the second leg of their comeback tour.

Opening the show was Nicholas Merz, whose set I caught the last half of. Alone on stage wearing double denim and a cowboy hat, Merz was behind a modified pedal steel creating loops for a bit of an avant-garde country sound, punctuated by his deep, crooning vocals. He would show off his voice even more when, a couple times at the end of a song, he strode up to the front of the stage with a bit of a soft-shoe to belt out some stark lyrics — once just himself, unaccompanied by the loops he created.
His set was either one of the most earnest performances I've ever seen, or -- and I can't quite put my finger on what makes me think this -- a very elaborate performance art piece. Either way, it was a very entertaining.

Then after a bit of a break, it was time for Sunset Rubdown as Michael Doerksen, Camilla Wynne, Jordan Robson-Cramer, and Spencer Krug hit the stage. Right off the bat, Krug apologised for the circumstances of the last show, and was incredibly grateful for the sold out crowd on an unseasonably hot Monday night. He joked that was the last they’d be speaking for a while and launched into “Snake's Got A Leg” from the groups debut album to kick off the set.

From there they ran through a selection from all four records, from “The Empty Threats of a Little Lord” to the relatively fragile “Silver Moons”, with other highlights including “Us Ones In Between”, building to an intense finish with Krug's distinctive vocals filling the theatre, and the dark and haunting “Winged/Wicked Things” sending chills through the (warm) room.

Between the familiar songs, the band teased some new material. The first time, Krug clarified it was just an old one that was never recorded, but later a new song was introduced with no such caveats. As far as I know, the band has been coy about any future plans, but fingers crossed.

Part way through the set, Nicholas Merz joined the others on stage on bass, though along with Michael and Jordan, the three of them swapped around on bass, guitar, and drums a little. And while he was behind the keys for most of the night, at once point Krug pulled out his guitar for a few songs, including “You Go on Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)” and probably my favourites of theirs, the barely-controlled chaos of “Idiot Heart”.

After a big intense jam to finish “The Men Are Called Horsemen There”, they brought the set to a close with the frenetic “The Mending of the Gown”, making the crowd work a little for the encore. But of course they were back, with just one more song, pouring all their remaining energy into the epic, winding, ten minute long “Dragon's Lair”, to cap off the nearly two hour set.

Since the breakup of Sunset Rubdown, I've seen Krug perform a number of other times; as Moonface, his collab with Siinai, solo piano shows, and even a Wolf Parade set. But as this show drew closer I started to worry that I was building the renion up too much in my head. Turns out that was for nothing, as the show more than met my expectations. The band hasn’t lost a single step, as tight as ever. Even at two hours, the show felt too fleeting, and I really hope we get to hear more from them in the future.

setlist
Snake's Got A Leg
The Taming Of The Hands That Came Back To Life
Silver Moons
Us Ones In Between
Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings
Winged/Wicked Things
Stadiums And Shrines
You Go on Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)
Coming To At Dawn
Idiot Heart
The Empty Threats of Little Lord
We're Losing Light
The Men Are Called Horsemen There
The Mending of the Gown
(encore)
Dragon's Lair

Spencer Krug @ China Cloud -- November 11, 2022

The last time I saw Spencer Krug perform, it was with Wolf Parade, at the Just Like Heaven music festival in Pasadena, California, alongside a few thousand other people. So when Krug announced a string of solo piano shows -- for his new album Twenty Twenty Twenty Twenty One -- and the chance to see him alongside a few dozen people at the China Cloud in Vancouver, I knew I couldn't miss it.

The opening act for the evening was a Nanaimo band simply named SEX. The duo of Max Pittet on keys and Chris Thompson on synth (and both occasionally on bass) played a set of electronic-voiced synthpop. Their songs were often upbeat, like the sexy breakup song, “Come Again”, but even the ones with more serious subject matter still had an air of levity, like the double entendre titled “Kickin’ It” about substance abuse. The duo admitted they were a but nervous for their first show in Vancouver, but with banter that landed more on the “charming” side of “charmingly awkward”, they were a fun opening band.

Lit with a lamp in front of the piano, and a row of candles above the keys, Spencer Krug kicked off with "Black Is Back in Style", for a set spanning many of his projects. From the Moonface song "Heartbreaking Bravery", which was performed a cappella, with just a soft percussion of stomps and finger snaps; to the newer "Chisel Chisel Stone Stone", with its intricate piano runs, which Krug nailed after telling us he was still working out how to translate the song to piano; and even an old Sunset Rubdown song, "Us Ones In Between".

Cuts from the new album, like the dense "New Kind of Summer of Love", were translated into stripped down versions, but his distinct vocals and deft piano kept the crowd rapt. Both with the new songs, but especially with favourites like the bubbling intensity of "City Wrecker", and one of my all time personal faves, the absolutely gorgeous "Julia With Blue Jeans On", with Krug's voice going from a fragile tremble, to an fervent wail.

In keeping with the intimate vibe of the show, Krug chatted with the crowd a few times throughout the set, as if friends gathered in a living room. Near the end, he asked how long they wanted to watch one man play one piano, and after admitting the consensus of "forever" was slightly unreasonable, he decided to eschew the idea of leaving the stage & returning, saying he had just two more: one new, "How We Have to Live", and one old, "Fast Peter".

The last time I saw Spencer Krug perform a solo piano show, specifically, it was at The Lido a few years ago. While that was also a great show, the din of a bar really detracted from his set. This time, I couldn't have asked for a better atmosphere; almost dead silent, the incredibly respectful crowd hanging on every note, sometimes even waiting until between songs to open a can of beer. And if that's not having the crowd in the palm of your hand, I don't know what is.

setlist
Black Is Back in Style
Heartbreak Bravery
Slipping In and Out of Thee Pool
My Puppeteer
Barbarian
City Wrecker
Chisel Chisel Stone Stone
New Kind of Summer of Love
Us Ones In Between
The Fog
Julia With Blue Jeans On
How We Have to Live
Fast Peter