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

SoMa Fest @ ANZA Club -- March 21, 2026

This weekend was the first SoMa Fest from Music BC. Along with some industry panels & events, the festival spotlighting dozens of local bands across several venues throughout Vancouver’s South Main St (get it?). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to hit up any of the Friday night shows, but there was a certain one on Saturday at the ANZA Club I couldn’t to miss.

I didn’t catch the first act of the night, Élise LeBlanc, getting to the club as Talel McBriar took the stage with her band. With a folky vibe, she weaved through a lovely set as her voice lilted through the room on songs like “Stages” and “Stay the Same”, the recently-released first single off her upcoming album.

Next up was someone I’ve been meaning to catch for a while, Desirée Dawson. She started off the set with “I Am Blessed”, supported only by acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, and backup vox. The spotlight of her soulful folk set was definitely her powerful voice, with songs like the optimistic “Clover” and “Cowgirl”, featuring just her and an acoustic guitar.

Dawson also got the crowd to join in with some soft singing along to “Hold Up Hope” and her chilled out cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”. After the jaunty “Chop Some Wood”, she wrapped up the set with “Beholder” to rapturous applause from the room. I’m definitely going to have to make a point to see her do a full set soon.

Duke & Goldie followed, the country duo of Eric “The Duke” Duquette and Jena “Goldie” Gogo backed by a full band, including pedal steel, to start the set with a raucous “West End Queen (Abattoir)”. Goldie’s voice burst forth on songs off their latest EP Romance and Ramblin' including the melancholic “Romanticized Cowboy”, and dipped back further for “Courage”, which they also had the crowd join in on. They capped off their set with “Outsider”, a song Duke dedicated to Willie, Waylon, Kris, and all his other heroes who felt like outsiders to the country scene.

Wrapping up the night was the new project from Haley Blais and Sam Lynch, True Mountain Laurel. The collab came from their longtime friendship and performing with each other on stage (in fact, I saw Haley join Sam for a song late last year teasing the partnership) and I was distraught to have to miss their debut show last month.

The two Vancouver musicians took a seat on a pair of stools on stage, acoustic guitars in hand, which lead to the only unfortunate part of the set; since they were going on later in the evening, the music from the ANZA’s downstairs lounge began to bleed through, especially the thumping bass. But the duo powered on, joking that they would have to get some dance remixes soon, and even laughing at the perfect timing of the bass dropping as soon as they finished one of their songs.

They started off with a cover of the standard “Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie” before playing their upcoming album in full, beginning with the title track “Angel So Bad” that included some funny, clever lyrics. Their voices intertwined beautifully on songs ranging in personal experience, like an ode to Haley’s cat with “Bird of Prey” and honouring their shared middle name in “I Love You Nicole”.

Throughout the set they talked about the songs, their partnership, and joked with each other, their friendship shining through and keeping up the energy for the last band of the evening, even trying to show up the people downstairs with Blais getting everyone to stamp their feet along with “Holy Hell”.

Being a fan of both musicians individually I was already looking forward to the collaboration, but more-so now. If the album captures even a fraction of the charm from their show it’s going to be a special one.

Even though I only caught a small slice of the inaugural SoMa Fest, it was a fun show with quick, half-hour sets from everyone (and, one of the biggest compliments I can give it: the entire night ran on time!)
I’m already hoping they’re back next year, and will definitely try to catch even more if they are.

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