Bend Sinister @ Tyrant Studios -- December 08, 2023

Just a few weeks ago, Bend Sinister announced a last minute, intimate show at Tyrant Studios, the current name for the historic music space above Vancouver’s Penthouse (yes, that one). And seeing as it had been a minute since seeing the group, I jumped at the chance for what was promised to be a “nice, snug, sweaty Rock N Roll show”.

With no opening act, Dan Moxon, Joseph Blood, Matt Rhode, and Dicky Neptune hit the stage to play two sets of high energy rock. Starting off with “Move A Little Slower”, the first set consisted of some old favourites, like the jaunty groove of “Fancy Pants” and the joyous “Show Me How To Love”. Dan’s voice belted out through the room on the dark and moody “Black Magic Woman”, and the whole band shone on the climax of the set, the sprawling, 8-minute epic “Best of You”. They finished the first half of the evening off with the anthemic “Rock ‘n’ Roll” (pausing mid-song for an action shot) and took a quick break before the second half of the show.

After mentioning the rest of the show was going to be filmed for later use, they started off with one of the recent singles they've dropped, “Price You Pay”, and from there mostly focused on new songs from their upcoming album. Highlights included the summer-jam “Hot City” and the infectious “Can I Get Your Name?”, as well as the unreleased “Big Star”, a hugely chaotic tune that instantly shot to my favourite of the new crop.
They did also slip in a few older songs, like “Walk the Other Way”, which was the most intense of the set, and the flat-out rager “Teacher”, before capping off the set with another new one, “What It Takes”.

But the intimate venue and small stage didn’t really offer anywhere to go. So after Joseph quickly ducked off to grab a makeshift Christmas tree, the band went ahead with a holiday song they released last year, “If Christmas Comes This Year”, before letting the crowd sing along to a pair of covers; first “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night and then Van Halen's “Jump”.

I've said before on this blog, one of the first bands I heard when getting deeper into the “Local Vancouver Scene” was Bend Sinister, and I am so happy to be able to see them consistently rock out. But as much as I’ve typed here, I think my favourite ‘review’ of the show came from a lone guy in the crowd (who I don’t think had even heard of Bend Sinister before that evening), when he shouted in awe during a quiet moment between songs “That was pretty good! Those guys have PRACTICED!”

setlist
(set 1)
Move A Little Slower
Got You On My Mind
Fancy Pants
Show Me How To Love
Don't You Know
Man Of Faith
Black Magic Woman
1997
Best Of You
Rock N Roll

(set 2)
Price You Pay
Heard It All Before
Renegade
Shannon
Can I Get Your Name?
Walk The Other Way
Leave The Lights On
Hot City
Big Star
Teacher
What It Takes

(encore)
If Christmas Comes This Year
Joy To World
Jump

Dan Moxon @ WISE Hall -- 10/24/19

Back when I was first getting into the "local scene", I went to see a well-known Canadian band who... well, I didn't much care for their set, but I did come away from that show with a new discovery: a band by the name of Bend Sinister. They were one of the first local bands I really got into, and have followed them for the last decade-plus. Flash forward to this month, where frontman Dan Moxon has released his debut solo album Lounge Singer, and hit the WISE Hall for an album release show.

First up though, was another band celebrating a new release, The Wild Romantics. Aleisha Kalina and Evan Miller took the stage alone, Evan armed with a guitar, and started off with "She Could Tell" from their previous release of the same name. From there they went through every song from the new EP Feel The Lightnin'. Their voices blended beautifully for the stripped down set, going from the soft and longing "Long Blue Highway" to the electric "Feel the Lightnin'" to the darker "Hungry Teeth".
Kalina and Miller have such amazing chemistry together & are always a joy to watch live, and this night was no different.

After a short break, Dan Moxon took the stage with his band, immediately launching into "Be Better" from the new album. Behind the keys, Dan was joined only by a rhythm section (who also backed him on vocals) and a saxamaphone, the lack of lead guitar being one of the driving things to set the album apart from Bend Sinister.

Moxon focused mostly on the new album, with songs like the contemplative "Where You Going To Sleep Tonight", the upbeat "Playing With Fire", and "Morning After" which built to a frantic ending. Other highlights included my favourites off the album; "Around the World", the most jaunty song I've ever heard about not leaving your home, and the 50s doo-wop tinged "You Left Me", a fun song about an 'I Saw You' or 'Missed Connections' newspaper ad.

Along with the new tunes, Dan also slipped in a few treats for longtime fans like the slow-burning Bend Sinister song "Don't Let Us Bring You Down", and a few covers from the likes of Bowie, Radiohead, and a really fun version of "Honky Cat" from Elton John, joking that he needed at least one cover from a lounge singer, based on the album title.

As a band, Bend Sinister always puts on huge and energetic live shows, and Moxon is a big part of that. But even while this was toned down (by its very nature) Dan was no less captivating as his fingers flew over the keys and powerful voice filled the hall. I would go to any lounge with Dan Moxon as the singer in it, in a heartbeat.

Wild Romantics setlist
She Could Tell
Long Blue Highway
Hungry Teeth
San Francisco
Cheyenne
Feel The Lightnin'

Dan Moxon setlist
Be Better
Afraid of the World
The Corner
Don't Let Us Bring You Down
The Blue
Everlasting Fear
Playing With Fire
Oh! You Pretty Things [David Bowie cover]
Where You Gonna Sleep Tonight
No Surprises [Radiohead cover]
You Left Me
Morning After
New Year's Day
Honky Cat [Elton John cover]
Live For Today

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. 

Weekly Photo Roundup - September 14, 2016 ft. Willhorse, The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer (and friends)

Weekly Photo Roundup for the week preceding September 14, 2016

The 2nd annual Unbuckled event took place in Stanley Park last weekend with live entertainment from The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer, and a reunited Willhorse.

Both bands had special guests come out for songs, including members of each others bands. Check out the photos above.

Check out the concert calendar for what is coming up this week!

Photos by Christine McAvoy

Bend Sinister @ Biltmore Cabaret -- 04/22/16

Almost exactly ten years ago, in March of ought-six, a young Kirk who was just starting to get more into the local Vancouver music scene made his way to Red Room to check out Victoria band Hot Hot Heat on a bit of a whim. But what really stuck out that night was one of* the opening bands, Bend Sinister. I really liked the set, but kind of forgot about them until about a year/year and a half later when I heard them pop up on CBC Radio 3, and found their self-titled EP. Since then, they have remained one of my favourite -- not just local, but Canadian -- bands, particularly live. So I sure wasn't going to miss their first proper show in a while, at the Biltmore Cabaret this weekend. 

Especially since opening this night was Calgary band Boreal Sons, who I had been meaning to catch live for some time now. (Dante Hadden was the other opening act, but unfortunately I missed his set). 
I arrived as the three piece was starting their set, their piano-driven art-rock filling the room with songs like the simmering "Refrain" and the sweeping "Quietly Awake" from their latest album Threadbare. Along with that they teased some new tracks, and even pulled out a cool cover of Feist's "The Bad In Each Other", keeping the original's hurt emotions, and adding their own spin musically. 
Lead singer and keys player Evan Acheson chatted with the crowd between songs, expressing excitement about their upcoming tour -- their first in a while -- and asking for questions or comments (joking he never actually got any when asking that). 
They ended off with "Sparks", probably my favourite of the set, their harmonies building to a strong finish, and I am glad I finally got the chance to see them. 

With a quick turnaround, thanks to the early show schedule, Bend Sinister hit the stage soon after, the familiar faces of Dan Moxon on vocals & keys, with Joseph Blood on guitar, Matt Rhode on bass, Dicky Neptune on drums, and Kristy-Lee Audette on trumpet, synth, and tambourine. I think this was my first time seeing the band with Kristy-Lee as a full time member -- previously she had just joined for a song or two on trumpet -- and she was a great addition. 

They started the set off with a couple new tunes, cranking up the energy and barely let up for a little over an hour, with a great flow of songs. Early on, the bouncy groove of "Fancy Pants" got people moving, and the roaring "I Got Love" showed just how much band can rock. I've always said said Dan Moxon is a monster on the keys, and the rest of the band can absolutely keep up with his energy. 
Other highlights included perennial favourite, the uplifting "Things Will Get Better", and a deep cut from Stories Of Brothers, Tales of Lovers, "Dr. Lee" with Dan dedicating it to the fans that have been with them for a while. They also previewed more new material, from the album they're working on. One called "Foolish Games" which saw JP Maurice joining them on cowbell, and another called "Gang of Wolves" which absolutely blew me away, and I can't wait to hear it recorded. 

They drew the main set to a close with the Moxon's powerful voice soaring over eight-minute winding epic "Best Of You", but of course were back out for more, pushing right up against the curfew before the Friday night DJ dance party started. First they went back to that aforementioned self-titled EP for a song that is still one of my favourites, the explosive "Time Breaks Down", and then a very appropriate new song extolling the virtues of rock 'n' roll, as Dan slyly yelled "Fuck the DJs!" off the top, culminating with friends joining them on stage for a anthemic powerhouse of a closer. 

The show proved why, after all these years, I still love seeing the band live, and I am really excited to hear what new music they have for us coming up. 

*Fun fact footnote: the other opening band was You Say Party.