The Offspring @ Rogers Arena -- January 24, 2026

Admittedly, it's been quite some time since I last really listened to The Offspring. But when offered tickets to the Vancouver stop in their Supercharged Tour, I knew if I passed, my 12 year old self would be furious as Smash was a seminal album for me.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to Rogers Arena in time for Bad Religion, arriving as the intermission shenanigans were happening; a small Offspring blimp circling the crowd, as well as the video screen showing various spotlights for the crowd, like kiss cam, headbang cam, and booty cam.

But soon a countdown appeared in screen and “Thunderstruck” blast over the speakers, before The Offspring hit the stage, Dr. Dexter Holland and Noodles joined by Todd Morse on bass, drummer Brandon Pertzborn, and Jonah Nimoy on “everything”. They burst out of the gates with iconic riff of “Come Out and Play”, followed by the crazy “All I Want” and the tantalizing “Want You Bad”.

The stage included giant video board that alternated between showing the band and animated clips, as well as some ‘guests’ like giant, smoke breathing inflatable skeletons, as the punk band’s set weaved though their expansive career, from “Looking Out for #1” off their latest album Supercharged, back to Smash with “Bad Habit”, which had the entire arena joining in (especially on that verse).

Dexter and Noodles seemed to have tons of fun, and they joked with the crowd and each other, and slipped in a few covers with a Black Sabbath medley to honour Ozzy, as well as a bit of Ramones with “I Wanna Be Sedated”, and Noodles shredding the classic “In the Hall of the Mountain King”

Later in the set, a piano was brought out as Dexter played the heartfelt “Gone Away”, getting everyone to hold up a light for someone they lost, and then one last cover for the night in “Hey Jude”. The singing along continued with a couple more fun songs, “Why Don't You Get a Job?” and “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)”, the former saw giant beach balls distributed through the crowd and the latter featured dancers in the iconic outfit, both human and wacky waving inflatable ones.

They wrapped up the main set with “The Kids Aren't Alright”, but were quickly back for a couple more, first “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid”, and then one last chance for everyone to yell along with another classic favourite, “Self Esteem”.

I feel like there is always a risk when seeing an act you have such fond memories of, and I did have a quick shock & realisation of “oh, right, Dexter’s vocals aren’t going to be exactly as they were 30 years ago”. But The Offspring still rocks as hard as ever and I was immediately transported back with an incredibly fun show full of songs I still somehow remembered all the words to.

setlist
Come Out and Play
All I Want
Want You Bad
Looking Out for #1
Staring at the Sun
Hit That
Original prankster
Hammerhead
Make It All Right
Bad Habit
Electric Funeral / Paranoid / Crazy Train [Black Sabbath medley]
In the Hall of the Mountain King [Edvard Grieg cover]
I Wanna Be Sedated [The Ramones cover]
Gotta Get Away
Gone Away
Hey Jude [The Beatles cover]
Why Don't You Get a Job?
Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)
The Kids Aren’t Alright
(encore)
You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid
Self Esteem

jo passed @ The Pearl -- January 22, 2026

It’s been eight years since jo passed Their Prime, but after a tease with a single last year, Jo Hirabayashi (平林) is back with a brand new album as jo passed Away. And along with the new album comes a celebration — and tour kick-off — at The Pearl in Vancouver with some local pals.

First up on the night was Buddie, who were playing in front of a projection screen with a cute animation loop of a fish swimming though the ocean. They had a fuzzy, power-pop sound with catchy songs like “Golden” and the crunchy “Antarctica, 2005” from their latest album Glass, released a few months ago. The band blasted through some older songs, including the gritty “Ugly in the End”, before capping off the set with “In A Glass Shell”.
I hadn’t seen the Vancouver band before last night, and I’ll definitely have to keep an ear out for then again.

Babe Corner took the stage next, starting off (ironically) with the deep cut, “Fox Cabaret”. From there, they went into a set of their “babe-core” sound, including songs from their latest album Crybaby; “Summer Slaughter” with its infectious chorus, the breezy “Bianca”, and “Caught On The Double” which say Haley Blais taking over lead vocals for a bit.
They also hit a pair of singles released last year, with the dreamy combo of “I'm Like U” and “Feels Like”, and ultimately wrapped up with “Cigarette”, a song that never fails to get stuck in my head after hearing it live.
Early in the set, a (probably) drunk dude felt the need to let everyone know it was his 33rd birthday, yelling between a couple songs, but Lindsay Sjoberg handled it well, joking we should all head down the street to The Roxy after show.

But before that, it was time for jo passed to close out the night, kicking off with the first track off Away, the appropriately titled “BRB”. Jo continued through the new album with the jagged “Ico” and the chaotic buzz of “339”, an early favourite off the album.
After ‘side A’ of the album finished with “Dizzy Izzy”, Jo introduced the band and went into some older tracks, including “MDM”. Through the set, Jo didn’t say much, mostly thanking everyone for being there and quickly introducing songs; the one time he did try to talk more, about his trepidation for embarking on a tour through America right now, someone kept dismissively yelling “relax!” until he moved on (strange crowd last night, and that’s before even mentioning the people dancing/swaying/flailing in front of the stage all set!)
And finally, the all-too-short set wrapped up with the title track “Away” and chilled out “J Walking”, foregoing the encore routine, thankfully.

The last time I saw jo passed, it was during JunoFest last year and the sound at the venue was somewhat muddy, so it was good to see them again with a much better mix! Add on Babe Corner who is always a blast & a fun set from Buddie, and it was a great album release show.

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.

Hotel Mira @ Vogue Theatre -- Dec 13, 2025

Earlier this year, Hotel Mira released their third full length album and struck out on their Pity Party Tour, with the last show landing in their hometown at the Vogue Theatre. And to celebrate the Vancouver show, they brought a couple other local acts along with them.

Opening the night was Kylie V, taking the stage with their band that consisted of Josh Eastman (keys), Nolan Fae (guitar), Keeley Leah (bass), and Jess Jones (drums). They started off the set with “On My Mind”, before hitting songs from last year’s Crash Test Plane, including the building intensity of “Lucky Streak” and the soaring title track.
Kylie told everyone to hug their best friend before heartwarming “Catherine”, their voice filling the theatre, and then closing out the set by teasing a brand new song, which had a bit more a grungier feel, and I’ll be looking forward to hearing it again.
Funny enough, the last time I saw Kylie play a proper venue was the Pearl at the beginning of last year, where right after I ran across the street to see Hotel Mira at the Commodore, so it was nice to see both under the same roof this time. Kylie’s indie rock fit the Vogue wonderfully, and I have no doubt they’ll be back on that stage soon.

Soon after, four moustachioed men hit the stage as Uncle Strut launched into their first song with a name that I felt encapsulated their sound, “Down South”, as they had a classic southern rock feel. With a high energy, they ran through songs like the funkier “Natalie” and their latest single, “August”.
They capped off the set with a cover of the standard “That's All Right, (Mama)” joined by back up bubblers (two people with bubble guns) while Jasper Matthias & Simon Tejani on (guitar & bass) went right up to the crowd in the pit while drummer Quincy Flowers held it down and singer Tyson McNamara ended up doing the worm on stage, for a big finish to a fun set.

And finally, as Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right” blared over the speakers, Hotel Mira hit the stage, singer Charlie Kerr joined by Mike Noble on bass, Clark Grieve on guitar, and drummer Cole George. The band kicked off strong with “America's Favourite Pastime”, barely taking their foot off the gas as they blasted through high energy hits like the perennial singalong “This Could Be It For Me”, the lights turning deep red for “Vampire” with its gang vocals , and “Jungle” where they snuck in the intro to Zeppelin’s “The Immigrant Song”. They also hit tracks off the new album, like the anthemic “Cowboy” and the hard hitting “Made for This”, as well as their latest release, “Re: Valentine's Day” from their follow-up EP, After Party.

As usual, Charlie was a ball of pure energy, barely standing still for even a moment as he danced, pantomimed, and gyrated around the stage. He also took a moment to make sure everyone on the room was on the same page when it came to marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ and immigrants, outright stating there was no room for bigotry at the Hotel Mira, and the crowd was fully on board.

After the synth-driven “Dancing in the Moonlight”, Kerr asked people to get close, reaching into the crowd to hold hands with anyone he could, before wading into the audience to sing with everyone for “Off The Record”, the final song of the main set.

But of course there was more, first Charlie back out on his own with an acoustic guitar for their version of a holiday song, “Red & Green” before inviting the band back on stage — and also two special guests for a surprise proposal! — and ending with a bang. First, the incredibly infectious “Fever Pitch” and then reaching way back to the JPNSGRLS days for “Southern Comforting” and the whole crowd yelling along at the end.

While it felt inevitable that Hotel Mira would be headlining the Vogue themselves, there was still a sense of excitement coming from the band as they knew their time was now. Add on top of that the last show of the tour at home, and it all just added to their usual live-show-energy for am incredibly fun & energetic night.

setlist
America’s Favourite Pastime
King of the World
This Could Be It for Me
Runner
Vampire
Jungle
Eventually
Right Back Where I Was
Son-in-Law
Made for This
Cowboy
Re: Valentine’s Day
Making Progress
Dancing With the Moonlight
Speaking Off the Record
(encore)
Red & Green
Fever Pitch
Southern Comforting

Georgia Harmer @ Biltmore Cabaret -- November 22, 2025

A couple months ago, Georgia Harmer released her sophomore album Eye of the Storm, and now the eponymous tour stopped in Vancouver at the Biltmore Cabaret. I had seen Georgia a couple times live opening for some powerhouses — Dan Mangan & Tim Baker — and I was looking forward to seeing her on what turned out to be her first headlining tour!

I was also excited for the opener, Vancouver’s Sam Lynch, who took the stage alone armed with her guitar. She started with “Teeth” from her latest album Outline, released almost exactly a year ago and focused mostly on that for her set, hitting two of my favourites early; the emotion-filled “Hurt” and “Doing My Best” which ending with Lynch letting loose on vocals. Partway through Sam brought a friend on stage, with Haley Blais joining her for a new song they recently wrote together (and teasing something more?). After “Moth” built to a big finish, she closed out with her latest, “Dog Song”, for a lovely set.

It wasn’t long after that Georgia Harmer hit the stage with her guitar, alongside Matt Kelly on guitar & pedal steel, as she opened with the first track from Eye of the Storm, “Can We Still”. From there she went through the new album, nearly in order, her gorgeous voice driving songs like “Little Light”, the heartbreaking “Hazel vs Coyote”, and “Take It On”, where she was joined by Sam Lynch for backup vocals. She also dipped back into her previous album Stay in Touch with the more upbeat “Headrush” and the breezy “Top Down”.

Between songs, Harmer chatted with the crowd, opening up about some of the backstories and thanking everyone for connecting with them. And after about an hour, she closed out the main set with “Farmhouse”, but introduced it with a wink and was shortly back out for the title track “Eye of the Storm”, both Lynch and Blais joining in, beautifully backing her up on vocals for my favourite song of the night. Harmer was about to wrap up the set when someone yelled out a request for “Know You Forever”, which she took a moment to consider, then played with the caveat that the crowd help out, which they were more than happy to.

In fact, the crowd was quietly attentive and locked in the entire night, to the point that Harmer was incredibly appreciative and I believed it when she said it was a show she would remember, thanks to everyone in that room. And I’m sure everyone at the Biltmore that night felt the same way toward her.

Georgia Harmer setlist
Can We Be Still
Talamanca
Little Light
Slow Down
Last Love
Hazel vs. The Coyote
Homes
Austin
Headrush
Time To Move On
Take It On
Top Down
Farmhouse
(encore)
Eye of the Storm
Know You Forever

Sam Lynch setlist
Teeth
Hurt
Doing My Best
Getaway Car
[New song w/ Haley Blais]
Keeping Time
Moth
Dog Song