Young Galaxy @ Venue -- 04/04/18

It's been nearly five years since the last time Young Galaxy has played Vancouver, and there have been a few changes since. For one, the band has slimmed down to the two core members, Catherine McCandless and Stephen Ramsay. They were also just about to self-release a brand new album, Down Time, as they began their tour at Venue. 

First up, though, was Vancouver's own Leisure Club. Their beachy, sunny indie pop drew people in on a raining night, as the crowd slowly amassed during their set. Kicking the set off with "Hold On", they played from their recently released self titled album, including the upbeat and catchy "Still Young", and the slightly frantic sounding "Entertainment". Their upbeat vibes were a good choice for opener, but the set really made me want to see them in a sunny outdoor festival (preferrably near a beach) rather than a dimly lit, smokey club. 

Not long after, Young Galaxy took the stage, the two of them in front of a projection screen, flashing with colours, images, and lyrics from the songs playing. The duo was mostly backlit the entire night, the silhouettes of Catherine singing and dancing or Stephen doing, well, literally everything else on his keyboard & laptop.

They started the set with "Frontier" off the new album, and focused a lot on the newer material from the upcoming album, including the pulsing "Stay For Real" and the haunting "Elusive Dreams". Other highlights of the set included older songs, "Blown Minded" from their Shapeshifting album, Stephen taking over vocals for "Cover Your Tracks", and the great one-two combo to end off the set, the intensely passionate "Pretty Boy" and a big disco-esque intro for "Crying My Heart Out". 

While I enjoyed their set, I did feel a little like it lacked the same impact as the last time I saw them live, with a full band. But it definitely fit the more ambient & chilled electronic sound of the new album, and even mostly in dark silhouette, McCandless remains one of the most compelling singers out there. 

setlist
Frontier
We Have Everything
Seeing Eye Dog
Blown Minded
Under My Wing
Show You The Valley
Devotion
Cover Your Tracks (Stephen)
Stay For Real
Eluaide Dream
River
Pretty Boy
Crying My Heart Out

PHOTOS: Shred Kelly @ Cobalt - March 31, 2018

Shred Kelly
Cobalt
March 31, 2018
Christine McAvoy Photography
(Click HERE for Kirk's review.)

Shred Kelly Album Release @ Cobalt -- 03/31/18

With a brand new album out earlier this year, Shred Kelly ended off their Canadian tour in Vancouver, with a packed at the Cobalt (just a month before it's set to close for renovations... but also probably for good). 

The Fernie band started off their set with a few songs from the new album, Archipelago, including "Don't Ever Look Back" and the title track, with the voices of Tim Newton and Sage McBride complimenting each other nicely. 
With their high-energy "stoke folk", they quickly had the crowd dancing & jumping, so much so that the floor of the Cobalt was bouncing like the Commodore (which, given the state of the Cobalt had me a tiny bit nervous). "Stereo" showed off Tim's fast fingers on the banjo, guitarist Ty West breaking a string on "Rowed Away", and other highlights from the set included one of my favourites from the new album -- and the most upbeat sing I've heard about the  inevitable heat death of the universe -- "Nova"; the darker and moody "Didn't Know"; and the giant singalong "I Hate Work", which was getting requests all night long, and in a nice cathartic moment had everyone shouting along to the titular chorus. 

They wrapped up the main set with the frantic and tempestuous "Tornado Alley" before they were back out for a couple more, starting with a drum solo by new drummer Eddie Annett, then once again bouncing the floor of the Cobalt with "Die Trying" and "New Black" to round out the night. 

Shred Kelly has an incredibly infectious energy as a live band. You can see each member having fun on stage, and that bleeds through to a crowd that can't help but sing, yell, dance, and stomp along.

setlist
Don't Ever Look Back
Archipelago
Stereo
Jupiter (Any Other Way)
The Bear
Nova
Rowed Away
Way Down
Sing to the Night
Going Sideways
Cabin Fever
I Hate Work
Didn't Know
Tornado Alley
(encore)
Die Trying
New Black 

PHOTOS: Dom Fricot @ Fox Cabaret - March 30, 2018

Dom Fricot
Fox Cabaret
March 30, 2018
Christine McAvoy Photography

JUNO Week: JUNO Cup, Common Deer, Leif Vollebekk, Bob Sumner, Skye Wallace, Wooden Horsemen, Dustin Bentall, The Wild North

JUNO Week: JUNO Cup, Common Deer, Leif Vollebekk, Bob Sumner, Skye Wallace, Wooden Horsemen, Dustin Bentall, The Wild North
Vogue Theatre
March 21, 2018
Christine McAvoy Photography