Broken Social Scene w/ Belle Game @ Commodore -- 10/20/17

It's been half a dozen years years since we last heard from Toronto collective Broken Social Scene, but this year they gathered all the members from accross the globe and from different bands to make the brand new album, Hug of Thunder. And while the tour didn't feature everyone on the album (at this point in their respective careers, that would pretty much be impossible to pull off) it did feature the core members, for two nights at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. 

With them they brought Vancouver's own Belle Game, who they had befriended on a writing retreat a few years back. The foursome of Andrea Lo, Katrina Jones, Adam Nanji, and Alex Andrew hit the stage with an instrumental intro, before going into "Up Again" from the new album, Fear/Nothing. They played almost exclusively from that, with the intense song "The River" being the only exception, as Andrea Lo's powerful voice filled the Commodore. No matter how many times I've seen them live (and it's been a few) her voice never fails to leave me in awe. Stand-out off the new album, "Spirit" was another highlight as they wrapped up their all-too-short set with the intense "I Want Nothing". No doubt it won't be long before they're back at the Commodore for a show of their own in the near future. 

Not long after that, the the eight(!) members of Broken Social Scene filled the stage, roll call including Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, Sam Goldberg, Ariel Engle, and of course, Justin Peroff, Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew. Just about every member was on double- (or triple-) duty as well, switching off instruments throughout the set, and all sharing vocals. 

They started with a couple throwbacks, "KC Accidental" and the upbeat "7/4 Shoreline" before Drew dedicated the set to Gord, and going into "Halfway Home" from the new album.

Other highlights from the new album included "Protest Song", which Engle stepped in for on vocals; in fact, it was just after someone from the crowd shouted for Emily Haines, but Kevin Drew was quick to shift the spotlight to Ariel Engle. And if you've ever seen AroarA you know how much of a vocal powerhouse she is. A little later she did joke that they really did need a few more women on stage, and invited both Andrea and Katrina from Belle Game to sing on a song each; "Stay Happy" and "Hug of Thunder" respectively. 

Along with the new material, they went through some old favourites as well, Whiteman taking lead vocals on "Fire Eye'd Boy", the fast version of "Major Label Debut" getting the crowd jumping on the bouncy floor, and Drew getting right up to the crowd for "Texaco Bitches".
The set came to a close with one of my personal favourites, the epic "It's All Gonna Break" as they wove through the bombastic highs and simmering lows of the song, building to the anthemic ending, with each member standing at the front of the stage, raising their guitars to the sky for the triumphant ending. 

At that point most of the band took off, but Drew & Canning stayed, Kevin stating this was the encore break, but they didn't want to leave the stage, they wanted to be with the crowd. And as everyone else returned (and played a spontaneous funky groove, at Canning's request) Kevin was true to his word and got into the crowd for a singalong to "Lover's Spit" as he hugged and high fived his way through the dance floor. Eventually he made his way back on stage for one last song, once more inviting both Andrea and Katrina back on stage for another one of my absolute favourites (along with the rest of the sold out venue, by the reaction) "Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl" as they lulled the crowd to a perfect ending to the show.

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Photos: Christine McAvoy

setlist
KC Accidental
7/4 Shoreline
Halfway Home
Protest Song
Fire Eye'd Boy
Texico Bitches
Stars & Sons
World Sick
Stay Happy
Hug of Thunder
Sweetest Kill
Skyline
Almost Crimes
Major Label Debut (Fast)
It's All Gonna Break
(encore)
Lover's Spit
Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl

Whitehorse @ Vogue Theatre -- 10/19/17

It's been six years since married couple Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland merged their respective solo careers to form Whitehorse, and it's been one heck of a ride. Last month they released their fourth full length album Panther in the Dollhouse, and finished off their tour in Vancouver for a show at the Vogue Theatre.  

As a rocked-out version of the Pink Panther theme played, Whitehorse took the stage. Each time I had seen them before, it was just Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland looping everything live, but this time they were joined by a full band. 

Standing in front of a backdrop that looked like a starry sky, lights twinkling, they got right into it with "Baby What's Wrong" and rocked through a few songs before thanking everyone for being there, and talking about the new album. As you would expect, the couple has amazing on-stage chemistry, playing off each other, and at a few points in the set sharing a single mic for tunes like "Epitaph In Tongues" as the band took a rest. 

The set ranging from high energy songs like the vitriolic "Boys Like You" (dedicated to a certain Mr. Weinstein in the news lately), the badass "Devil's Got A Gun", and "Pink Kimono" to moodier songs, like "Achilles' Desire", the gorgeous "Mismatched Eyes", and "Die Alone" which showcased Melissa's amazing vocals. 

Aside from the starry background, the stage had giant lights beaming from behind them, sometimes spotlighting individuals playing, other times fitting the mood, like when the stage was bathed in green for "Emerald Isle". Great lighting can really make a show pop, and I think it helped make it that much more memorable. 

After over an hour, they drew to a close with the anthemic "Downtown" including individual solos as they introduced the band (thanking their tour crew as well) before coming back out for a well-deserved encore, finishing with a cover of "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, which they recently played in front of Neil Young himself at a hall of fame ceremony. 

I've said it before on the blog, I absolutely love watching the spontaneous energy of loopers performing live, and I was momentarily disappointed when I saw a full band come out... but that didn't last long, as the show was incredibly tight, and they had just about the entire crowd rapt for the entire time. 

setlist
Baby What's Wrong
Nighthawks
Sweet Disaster
Emerald Isle
Achilles' Desire
Manitoba Death Star
Boys Like You
Epitaph In Tongues
Mismatched Eyes (Boat Song)
Die Alone
Devil's Got A Gun
Evangelina
Nadine [Chuck Berry cover]
Kicking Down Your Door
Pink Kimono
Downtown
(encore) 
Tame as the Wild Ones
Ohio [Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover]

Bend Sinister EP Release @ Cobalt -- 10/13/17

With a brand new EP out in the world, Bend Sinister is hitting the road, starting with a show at the Cobalt in Vancouver last Friday. 

I caught most of the set from opener Crystal Eyes, with their shoegazey dream pop. Singer Erin Jenkins joked about hitting the crowd with all the feelings, as their moody songs kind of blended together. But near the end of the set they kicked it up for a couple more high energy songs, which I quite liked, and made me want to keep an eye out for them in the future. 

From there, it was time for Bend Sinister to celebrate their new release, with singer Dan Moxon on keys, guitarist Joseph Blood, Matt Rhode on bass, and drummer Dicky Neptune were joined by JP Maurice on, well, everything else. 

They started off with some songs from the new EP, including the rollicking "Move A Little Slower", the intense "Get Along", and the bombastic title track "Walk The Other Way", before moving on to something of a band retrospective, Dan saying they'd be playing one song from each of their albums. Starting with the earliest, the title track from Through the Broken City all the way up to '014's Animals with "Best Of You", and including some of my favourites like "Time Breaks Down" and "Things Will Get Better", which started out with Dan alone on the keys before the rest of the band joined in as the song burst forth with its cautious optimism.

From there, they threw in a couple brand new songs, but also the instant-classic sing-along "Rock N Roll" from the new EP, before ending the set with a cover of Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" -- a song they recently played as part of a set where they played songs from the Forrest Gump Soundtrack at the Vancouver Fringe Festival. 

Of course, they weren't quite done, coming back for one more song, another brand new one, this time one no one had heard before, a bit of a love song called "I Do" that rocked its way to the end of the night. 

I've said before that Bend Sinister was one of the first local bands I saw as I was getting "into the scene" and they remain one of my favourites, especially to watch live, with an unmatched energy & sound that could fill arenas. 

An Evening with Feist @ Commodore -- 10/02/17

Somehow it's been nine years since I last saw Feist perform live -- so long that the last time I saw her predates this very blog. So I was happy to fix that while spending An Evening With Feist as she toured her Polaris short-listed album Pleasures (well, the second of two evenings with Feist, really, as she was at the Vogue the previous night). 

With no opening act, Feist came on stage with an undeniable and effortless confidence, having the crowd rapt from the first notes of "Pleasure" as she played the entire new album front to back, promising the highs and lows of love & heartbreak. 

Backed by Amir Yaghmai on keys and violin, Todd Dahlhoff on bass, and Lucky Paul Taylor on drums, Feist was clearly having fun, while she made jokes & chatting between songs, slipped local references into the lyrics, and even took a moment mid-set to give Broken Social Scene bandmate Kevin Drew a call, speakerphone held up to the mic so we could all hear (and challenged him to make the same call when their places were swapped and she was on the east coast while BSS was playing the Commodore). 

Highlights from the first half of the set included one of my favourites from the album, "Any Party", a sweet song with a few ad libbed lines toward the end, and "Century" with the disembodied voice of Jarvis Cocker doing his spoken word portion of the song as the simmering energy bubbled over for an intense ending. 

You would think after about an hour, once she wrapped up the album with "Young Up", that would be the end of the main set. But she went right in to a selection of older tracks, starting with the aptly titled "A Commotion", playing nearly another hour of older favourites, like "Sealion Woman" which had the crowd chanting along, and a bit of a revised version of "I Feel It All".

She ended the main set on a bit of a heartbreak, but also with a twinge of humour, saying she had been told this next was used as the first dance at weddings. With a smirk, she made sure we really paid attention to the lyrics, causing a few chuckles through the crowd as everyone listened intently to of one of the best breakup songs of the '00s, "Let It Die". 

Once again, I thought that might have been the end, and it would have been satisfying, but she was back out for a well-earned encore, alone with her guitar for an acoustic "Mushaboom" with a giant singalong, and then a reworked, slowed down version of "1234". But the crowd was still clamouring for more, as Feist came right back out for a second encore and fielded a request for "Secret Heart". She joked she may not quite remember all of the words, but any time she hesitated, the crowd was right there to remind her, singing along. Then after two and a half hours, she ended it for real with one last song, "Gatekeeper". 

Feist is an amazing performer with an amazing voice, and no doubt this will end up as a favourite show of the year. Now, hopefully it just won't be another nine years... 

setlist
Pleasure
I Wish I Didn't Miss You
Get Not High, Get Not Low
Lost Dreams. 
Any Party
A Man Is Not A Song
The Wind
Century
Baby Be Simple
I'm Not Running Away
Young Up
A Commotion
My Moon My Man
Sealion Woman
The Bad In Each Other
Caught A Long Wind
Feel it All
Let it Die
(encore)
Mushaboom
1234
(second encore)
Secret Heart
Gatekeeper

The New Pornographers @ Commodore -- 09/29/17

Hometown heroes The New Pornographers returned to the Commodore Ballroom this weekend touring their new album Whiteout Conditions. The bad news is, Neko Case wasn't on the tour (I don't think I've seen her perform with the band since 2011, sadly) but the good news is, we did get an appearance from Dan Bejar. I don't think he was with them for the full tour, but living in Vancouver has its perks as he popped in for a few of his songs. 

The seven members came on stage and launched immediately into "The Jessica Numbers" off Twin Cinema, before the title track for Whiteout Conditions, for a set that spanned all seven albums. The power pop hit hard with AC Newman's voice blending nicely with Kathryn Calder, not only singing her own songs but filling in nicely for Case's parts. This was also the first time I had seen the band with touring member Simi Stone on violin, who also provided backing vocals, and stepping into the spotlight for "Play Money". In true Bejar fashion, he would only pop out for his songs, but immediately captivated the crowd who was happy to see him there. 

The rarely-played (according to Newman after the song) "Myriad Harbour" got over huge with the packed room, and other highlights of the set included the soaring "High Ticket Attraction", the explosive "Dancehall Domine", and the classic "Testament To Youth In Verse", witheveryone's voice soaring together singing "No no no..."
As they finished the main set with the bombastic "Mass Romantic", I was slightly disappointed they didn't play either of two particular songs... until they started the encore with Kathryn Calder's beautiful and heartbreaking vocals on "Adventures in Solitude", and then ended the night with not just one of my favourite New Pornos songs, but one of my favourites period, "The Bleeding Heart Show". The cacophonous rise to an emotional crescendo was a perfect way to end the night. 

setlist
The Jessica Numbers
Whiteout Conditions
Myriad Harbour
Dancehall Domine
Moves
The Laws Have Changed
High Ticket Attractions
War On the East Coast
Champions of Red Wine
All the Old Showstoppers
This is the World of the Theatre
Spanish Techno
Colosseums
Jackie, Dressed in Cobras
Play Money
Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
Use It
Avalanche Alley
Testament to Youth in Verse
Mass Romantic
(encore)
Adventures in Solitude
Brill Bruisers
The Bleeding Heart Show