Natasha Khan is just LOVELY.

I had never seen Bat For Lashes before last night’s show at the Enmore and I didn’t really know what to expect. Since 2009′s Two Suns, I’ve slowly but continually become enamored with all three Bat For Lashes records, including last year’s The Haunted Man (you would perhaps know this already if I had actually published my Best of 2012 list….it still might be coming). So there were lots of songs I was dying to hear – and she played pretty much all of them.

What I wasn’t expecting?

Witnessing a genuine artist not afraid to be joyful, open, and courageous on stage. I wasn’t expecting someone so void of cynicism. Natasha Khan was warm, she smiled all night, and she seemed like a truly genuine human being. Plus she bounced around all night on stage without missing a note. I mean I wasn’t expecting an asshole either…but it was refreshing to see an artist so comfortable with themselves and their songs that they didn’t hide behind feigned aloofness.

Having said that, she did wear a rather colourful skirt and cape that was pared down to, more or less, a bikini-top (and skirt) during Oh Yeah’s mild, opening striptease.

Oh, and she also played some songs that I should talk about BECAUSE THEY WERE INCREDIBLE. The Haunted Man is quite a clean and precise record but on stage Natasha Khan has injected the songs (with her fantastic, multi-tasking band headlined by an incredible drummer) with a lot more power, danceability, and general OOMPH. I mean they weren’t drastically different arrangements or anything but they were just different enough to make you go, “Yes, I see what you did there and it totally worked. Carry on.”

Lilies, the night’s opening song, was a great example. Natasha belted out the song while beating the bass-line out on a synthpad (that’s what I’m calling it) with a drumstick. Those bass notes boomed. By the time the song reached it’s triumphant “Thank God I’m aliiiiiive” moment it was also plainly evident that Natasha Khan can just flat out sing; the first of many goosebump moments.

Over the course of the show most of The Haunted Man was played: Oh Yeah was sultry as hell; All Your Gold was louder and very, very dancey; Horses of the Sun was another vocal masterpiece. About halfway through the show, Natasha, when most bands are playing their We Don’t Mind If You Go To The Bar song, just casually dropped Laura on the crowd like it was no big deal. Holy shit. It was incredible. The applause after that one took ages to die down and Natasha appeared to be quite moved by the response from the crowd (who I think, like me, just fell more and more under the Bat For Lashes spell as the show progressed).

She followed that up with Lumen, a song recorded during The Haunted Man sessions but didn’t quite make the cut (although you can track it down as a bonus track). It was only slightly more busy than Laura with just two band members helping out with atmospheric accompaniment. I always love it when bands and artists dig deep into their catalogue to find some more obscure songs to play; so score another point for Bat For Lashes.

Then another bomb was dropped in the form of Two Suns‘ Siren Song. I’ve always enjoyed this song but I certainly wouldn’t have called it one of my favourites from that album. But it was simply an incredible performance. The way Natasha sneered out the “I’m evil” lines was haunting. And it was just one of six (!) songs off Two Suns played last night and most of them, like The Haunted Man material, were also a little bigger and louder (and perhaps less subtle); but they all killed. The appropriately shimmery Glass was played early along with the piano-led Travelling Woman.

Going even further back, Bat For Lashes also played a few from the debut record Fur And Gold and they were the three I most wanted to hear (more points!). Prescilla, coming late in the set was particularly memorable despite the fact that what followed was just a flawless final five songs. FLAWLESS.

A Wall kicked it all off before Sleep Alone and Pearl’s Dream wrapped up the main set. Each one, somehow, improving on the last. Pearl’s Dream featured some lenghty beat-driven sections which climaxed spectacularly. The band then left the stage with the crowd dying for more (which of course we knew we were getting but whatever we clapped and cheered and stomped).

The band returned to the stage and played The Haunted Man, the centerpiece from the record. The performance incorporated elements of the recorded version, with Natasha holding up some sort of old radio (or something made to look old?) that played the haunting chant from the song’s middle section. When Natasha’s vocal part came up she lifted the radio over her head Lloyd Dobler-style and then belted out the rest of the song. WITH A LARGE RADIO ABOVE HER HEAD. It’s like thought to herself, “Singing isn’t that hard, maybe I’ll exercise while I do it”. We get it, Natasha, you’re awesome, now you’re just showing off. It was an indelible image I will remember for a long time (even after the Instagrams have been pushed down my feed).

One element of the gig that was not surprising was the night’s final song, Daniel. And it was a perfect end to a gig I loved from start to finish. The crowd sang along, danced along, and it was just a joyous, communal experience and the perfect send-off into the muggy Enmore night.

Setlist
Lilies
What’s A Girl To Do?
Glass
Travelling Woman
Oh Yeah
All Your Gold
Horses Of The Sun
Horse And I
Laura
Lumen
Siren Song
Prescilla
A Wall
Sleep Alone
Pearl’s Dream
——
The Haunted Man
Daniel

Prior to Tuesday night’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs show at the Metro, I had not seen the New York trio since 2004. Eight and a half years ago.

1. I am old.
2. That is a LONG time between shows.

It’s not like the band haven’t been active in that time, just bad timing on my part (whenever they were in Australia I was in Canada on a holiday). Despite the years, I still had incredible memories of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs live experience from the two shows I saw when they were supporting their debut album, Fever To Tell. This meant I was super hyped to finally be seeing them live again.

And somehow they didn’t disappoint.

For about 75 minutes on Tuesday night, the Metro was a sweaty, throbbing mess of guitar wails, bouncing bodies, and the incomparable Karen O completely owning the stage.

The band opened the show with Rich, Karen O dressed in some crazy, sparkling white suit that would not have breathed very well. After the second song (Mosquito, the title track from the upcoming album), Karen O reminisced about falling off the Metro stage ten years and badly hurting herself during a performance of Rich. Apparently she wanted to exorcise those demons on Tuesday.

The rest of the set was a blend of the band’s entire back catalogue. Three new songs were played (the aforementioned Mosquito, the spooky Earth, and a quiet one I believe was Despair), and every album was presented. Since I hadn’t seen them since 2004 I was excited to see some of the songs I hadn’t seen live before. They didn’t disappoint with a stomping versions of Heads Will Roll and Zero from It’s Blitz while Gold Lion, Phenomena, and Turn Into represented Show Your Bones.

Surprisingly, Fever To Tell was heavily featured. Rich, Cold Light, Black Tongue were all played in the first half of the show and it’s easy to see why the band still enjoys playing these ones live as they still kill. The ubiquitous Maps was also played and I was reminded of just how good a song it is. And the final song of the night was a raucous version of Date With The Night which closed the gig in a suitably manic manner.

The gig itself was fantastic. Even better was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs reminding me how incredible they are and how much I love them.

Setlist
Rich
Mosquito
Cold Light
Phenomena
Under The Earth
Black Tongue
Zero
Skeletons
Despair
Maps
Gold Lion
Miles Away
Heads Will Roll
——
Turn Into
Date With The Night

FasterLouder has a review up with some great photos.

Kirin J Callinan opened and the less said the better I think. Maybe I’ll be in the mood next week when he opens for Bat For Lashes.

I think my ears are still ringing.

Last night at the Rickshaw Theatre, Spiritualized once again managed to overcome pretty high expectations. While the show didn’t quite reach the heights of a show in Sydney I saw a few years ago, I was still impressed with Spiritualized’s ability to unleash such transcendent music in a live setting.

Joined on stage by four other musicians as well as two backup singers, Jason Pierce led the band through a pretty extensive tour through the Spiritualized catalogue (easy to do when you’re on stage for two hours and twenty minutes) with surprisingly little material from the new record Sweet Heart, Sweet Light (well, five songs is less than I was expecting, anyway). The band, as always, alternated between being locked together (the sultry groove of I Am What I Am) and totally cacophonous (the insane madness of Cop Shoot Cop).

Of the new material, I Am What I Am was really impressive – I LOVE the back and forth between Jason and backing singers (reminiscent of I Think I’m In Love) and, as previously mentioned, the groove is just fantastic. Mary, another new one, was also pretty impressive and featured Jason belting out lyrics with more passion than I’ve ever seen from him on stage before.

Walking With Jesus was another great moment as I’ve never heard such a long version of that song before. I was kind of disappointed that Lay Back In The Sun was dropped from the set a few weeks back but I was so happy to hear Stay With Me which, despite seeing the band live since 1998, I had never seen live. It was even more epic than I was expecting.

The band largely stayed away from SPZ’s earlier, spacier material but the Pure Phase double hit of Born Never Asked/Electric Mainline signaled the set’s transition from kinda slow (a couple politely received Amazing Grace tracks) to mind-altering. And packing in Ladies And Gentlemen, Come Together, and Cop Shoot Cop into the final portion of a set never hurts. Enthralling as always. And you expect nothing less from Spiritualized.

Setlist
Hey Jane
Lord Let It Rain On Me
Headin’ For The Top Now
Walking With Jesus
Oh Baby
Rated X
Born Never Asked
Electric Mainline
Soul On Fire
I Am What I Am
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Mary
Stay With Me
She Kissed Me (It Felt Like A Hit)
Come Together
———
So Long You Pretty Thing
Cop Shoot Cop…

Lost in the Radiohead trip a few weeks ago was Gotye’s impressive show at the Vogue Theatre here in Vancouver. I first wrote about Gotye back in June 2006 when Wally was still pretty unknown, even in Australia. During the years I spent in Sydney I got to know Wally a little bit so what has happened over the last six months or so has been kind of surreal. I mean Glee? A Billboard #1 single? Saturday Night Live? Just madness.

I saw Gotye a number of times while living in Sydney and while I definitely enjoyed those shows I always felt that Wally hadn’t quite managed to completely nail a Gotye live show – although this show came damn close. Translating sample-based music made at home to stages was never going to be easy but here in 2012 Gotye has the live show DOWN. Playing with four musicians (including Tim ‘Faux Pas’ Shiel) Gotye is now a full-fledged band on stage and it appeared as though they’d been playing together for ages.

Obviously, this review is a few weeks late so trying to pick out details ain’t gonna happen but needless to say Wally’s voice was bang on all night. Eyes Wide Open was a fabulous opener and hearing The Only Way live again was a real treat. I seriously never thought I’d be seeing a Gotye show in Vancouver, never mind at a completely sold out Vogue, but here I was in a room full of Canadians belting out Somebody That I Used To Know (in place of an absent Kimbra). It was weird. It made me miss Australia and my life and friends back in Sydney.

The visuals were a treat all night but they never took away from what Gotye was doing on stage. A number of the songs were stretched out a little bit in comparison to their recorded counterparts which made them feel more alive (this was particularly true of the songs off Making Mirrors).

By the time the show ended with a few uptempo numbers (you gotta after the slow burn genius of Hearts A Mess, right?) I was left not only missing Sydney but also incredibly impressed with what Wally’s done with Gotye over the past six years. While I was instantly impressed with Gotye, I never could have imagined this. And I’m sure Wally couldn’t have either.

Setlist
Eyes Wide Open
The Only Way
Easy Way Out
Smoke And Mirrors
State Of The Art
Thanks For Your Time
Don’t Worry, We’ll Be Watching You
Somebody That I Used To Know
Save Me
Bronte
Hearts A Mess
In Your Light
I Feel Better
———
Learnalilgivinanlovin

Every now and then you see a show and it is just perfect. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the best show you’ve ever seen but just the right band, doing the right thing, in the right way. Shows like that are hard to come by in shitty venues like the PNE Forum so I must admit I had my concerns ahead of last night’s Portishead show in Vancouver. An old arena/shed, the Forum isn’t known for being the best venue sound-wise but, somehow, Portishead overcame it. And sounded perfect.

I was not a huge Portishead fan in 1994. I think I was just a bit too young and a bit too into Pearl Jam and Nirvana to really grasp what Portishead were doing with Sour Times. A few years later when their second album was released I was firmly entrenched in my Britpop obsession and while All Mine intrigued me, I never really pursued the band. A couple years later I finally got around to Dummy and didn’t really look back. All of that is just a long way of saying I hadn’t been waiting the better part of two decades to see Portishead like many in attendance last night. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t pretty thrilled when Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley (plus newbie Radiohead drummer Clive Deamer and a couple other musicians) took to the stage awash in Third‘s frigid-blue lights.

And from the opening drum crashes of Silence, Portishead were perfect. Beth Gibbons’ voice was incredible all night. Cowboys and Over were delivered in that distinctive (and vaguely creepy) manner Gibbons employed on the sophomore record and at other times it was at its most delicate. And everyone else was spot on as well: Barrow adding percussion and scratching throughout the evening while Utley exuded the presence of a man who could outplay most guitarists around but instead utilizes his instrument to bring the atmosphere or menace to Portishead’s live show.

The set drew heavily from 2008′s best record, Third including that album’s finest moments in The Rip and set closer We Carry On. Elsewhere the band went way back and pulled pretty heavily from Dummy and it was these songs that the very polite (and very stoned) crowd responded to most enthusiastically: Mysterons, Sour Times, Roads, and perhaps two of the show’s finest moments in Glory Box and the show-stopping amazingness that was Wandering Star.

The latter was performed just as a trio, with Barrow playing bass while seated next to Gibbons who, also seated, sang while being shrouded in her hair. Utley added some haunting guitar and the crowd was practically silent, transfixed in what was one of the more memorable live moments I’ve ever witnessed.

When you add in the band’s most recent single (the krautrock excellence of Chase The Tear, Portishead’s show really was perfect. The lights and visuals were effective and always added to the mood while the band themselves really seemed to enjoy themselves on stage (they were all smiles at the end of the set). There was literally nothing else I could have asked for. Not bad for a band I never thought I’d ever see live

Setlist
Silence
Hunter
Nylon Smile
Mysterons
The Rip
Sour Times
Magic Doors
Wandering Star
Machine Gun
Over
Glory Box
Chase The Tear
Cowboys
Threads
———
Roads
We Carry On

Last night in Vancouver, Wolf Parade played what might have been their final show ever. The band is now heading off into Indefinite Hiatus land with no firm plans to tour or record. The band have stopped short of saying they’re officially breaking up but last night at the Commodore the feeling in the room was this is it. The band played furiously. And the crowd responded with complete adoration.

Since Wolf Parade were in town just last year, last night’s show wasn’t all the different set-wise. The band drew pretty evenly from all three of their records but it was arranged in such a way that every song seemed to better the one before it (or nearly every song). Opener Soldier’s Grin (one of my favourites off Zoomer) wasn’t super tight but after that the band just gelled and seemingly fed off the enthusiasm of the crowd for the rest of the night. Dan Boeckner in particular seemed touched by the love the crowd was throwing his way. His searing versions of Little Golden Age and Language City were two of the high points of last night’s brilliant show.

Which is not to ignore Spencer Krug. I’ll Believe In Anything was, of course, rapturously received while Oh You, Old Thing transformed into something much greater than its recorded counterpart. It was Spencer who announced from the stage that this would be Wolf Parade’s last show “for a shit shit shit long time” leaving open the possibility of the band returning in a few years. But he also pointed out how happy the band were that “this show” was happening in Vancouver, which, as Dan pointed out, is pretty much a hometown gig for the displaced to Montreal Wolf Parade. The sheer number of family and friends that watched the show from the side of the Commodore’s stage also seemed to indicate that last night might have been the last we’ll see from Wolf Parade.

And if that’s the case, so be it. The band went out like champions. The encore began with Dan dedicating This Heart’s On Fire to his father who was in attendance (in fact, his dad, touchingly, came out prior to the final song to hug his sweaty son and say a few words) before belting out one of my favourite Wolf Parade songs for perhaps the final time. Spencer followed it up with California Dreamer which Dan then topped with an absolutely ridiculously passionate take on Language City. The encore then ended with Spencer dedicating You Are A Runner to his father (also in attendance) which bled straight into a fierce version of Fancy Claps. The band then waved goodbye and left the stage…

…but the crowd refused to let them go so the band returned for “a shitty cover song” and invited the crowd up on stage to help them sing Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door at 1am. It was a heartfelt and surprising final move from Wolf Parade who walked off stage to hugs and kisses from fans eager to be a part of the moment, of the occasion. If it was goodbye, it was a brilliant way to leave Wolf Parade behind.

Here are those final moments…

(Thanks to @AwesomeSoundVS for that!)

Or from a rather different perspective…

Setlist
Soldier’s Grin
What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Go This Way)
Palm Road
Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts
Ghost Pressure
Oh You, Old Thing
Fine Young Cannibals
Cloud Shadow On The Mountain
Shine A Light
I’ll Believe In Anything
Little Golden Age
Kissing The Beehive
———
This Heart’s On Fire
California Dreamer
Language City
You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son
Fancy Claps
———
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

A few photos from last night are up on my Flickr page.

Download
Wolf Parade – You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son
Wolf Parade – Shine A Light
Wolf Parade – Call It A Ritual
Wolf Parade – Language City
Wolf Parade – Ghost Pressure
Wolf Parade – What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Go This Way)

Last night after I got back from Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s show at the Vogue Theatre I blurbed on Twitter that “Godspeed You! Black Emperor were monumental. 2.5 hours of world ending bombast.” And that’s kind of almost all I want to say. But the occasion seems to call for more.

Firstly, it was Godspeed’s first show on home soil (or in North America for that matter) in eight years. Secondly, I had missed my only opportunity to see the band when they were last in Vancouver in 2000. So for years I’ve jealously heard the stories of Godspeed’s powerful live show and downloaded live recordings in the failed hope of trying to simulate some sort of personal experience. And I wasn’t kidding myself, I really didn’t think I’d ever have the chance to see Godspeed on stage.

But then last night happened. From 8:50 until 11:15, Godspeed You! Black Emperor were transcendental and once I got comfortable in one of the horrible Vogue seats in the orchestra, I got lost in a live performance in a way that very, very seldom happens. Every single “song” was rendered more powerfully than their recorded counterparts and you could actually feel the music moving through you. Coupled with the eerie and at times apocalyptic projections*, I felt completely immersed all night and when the show ended I could scarcely believe it hadn’t just begun.

The set drew very heavily from 2000′s Lift Yr. Skinny Fists including the opening pieces which were the only “bright” notes in the entire show. Once the powerful Gathering Storm ended, the rest of the set soundtracked a landscape in decay. Albanian, a “new” song played a lot in 2003 which has yet to be recorded, was a menacing hell-beast and indicates that if the band do head into the studio this spring (as rumoured), the fruits of those sessions will be some of Godspeed’s most powerful material.

As the show slowly moved to its final epic statements, the band finally reached back to their first album with the portentous Dead Metheny and its most recent with Rockets Fall On Rocket Falls. Dead Metheny, in particular, was delivered with such intensity that I almost felt pinned down in my seat. The final piece of the night was BBF3 from the Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada EP. A fitting closer as it encapsulates Godspeed’s aesthetic perfectly: a field recording of a man becoming enraged, a slow build, and a thunderous climax that laid waste to any last shred of operating ear drums in the Vogue.

Setlist
Hope Drone
Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven
Gathering Storm
Monheim
Albanian
Chart #3
World Police And Friendly Fire
Dead Metheny
Rockets Fall On Rocket Falls
BBF3

* The projections were actually projected from two old school film projectors the likes of which I hadn’t seen since elementary school. The projectionist was busy all night, draped in reels of film as he set up each piece and even used his hands and a fishbowl at times to further distort the images.

The most pointless live shots I’ve ever taken of a band?

Some random notes about the gig:
- The setlist was the exact setlist the band played at their first gig back after the hiatus this past December in England.
- All the other songs the band have been playing on this tour are: Moya, Gamelan (another “new” one like Albanian), 09-15-00 (Outro), The Sad Mafioso, She Dreamt She Was a Bulldozer [...], and The Cowboy. Not going to lie, would have loved to have heard Moya and/or The Sad Mafioso last night.

If you’re keen to hear a recent version of Albanian, you can download a version from a show last month in Amsterdam.

Download
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Albanian

I SAW PAUL SIMONON PLAY BASS. I SAW MICK JONES PLAY GUITAR. TOGETHER. AT THE SAME TIME ON THE SAME STAGE.

I’ve enjoyed each Gorillaz release to varying degrees. Never LOVED an entire record but I seem to find enough on each album to justify spending some time with them. This year’s Plastic Beach is a pretty strong record but I’m not sure I would have actually ventured out to a Gorillaz show if not for the aforementioned members of The Clash being in the Gorillaz touring band. I’m also a massive Blur fan and think Damon Albarn is an under-appreciated genius.

So there I was in Rogers Arena (reminds me a lot of the old GM Place), stifling laughter as twenty-something white dudes broke out their finest hip-hop moves they’d perfected over years at Surrey house parties as N.E.R.D. worked their way through an uninspiring opening set. As we waited for Gorillaz to come on I realized I actually had pretty high expectations for the show. Having heard their Damascus concert from over the summer and having watched an extended Letterman performance I knew we were in for quite a show. And Damon delivered.

Seriously, how awesome must the contact list be in Damon Albarn’s phone? De La Soul, 50% of The Clash, Bobby Womack…all were in attendance and all were stellar. Paul Simonon was particularly fun to watch on bass…even from way back. In addition to an incredible band, the visuals were used well (even kept in sync with the music pretty well) as they filled in the holes left by Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, and Shaun Ryder who were all (understandably) not a part of the band. But with those few exceptions, almost everything else was done live on stage…sometimes with 20+ musicians including strings, horns, an Arabic orchestra, backing vocalists, two drummers, and enough guest vocalists to keep you on your toes.

And to top it off, the band played for just under two hours and pulled from all three Gorillaz records. I’m honestly not sure you could justifiably find a weak spot in the song selection. Even the short Punk was played and allowed Mick Jones to really let loose and Damon to jump around like it he was in the Song 2 video all over again. I really enjoyed the show on two levels:

1. It was just so much better than I ever expected Gorillaz to be live.
2. OMG THE CLASH

In both cases, a completely memorable evening. Hell, Damon even dragged Jamie Hewlett on stage as it was the last show of the North American tour. You really could not ask for more.

Setlist
Orchestral Intro
Welcome To The World Of The Plastic Beach
Last Living Souls
19-2000
Stylo
On Melancholy Hill
Rhinestone Eyes
Superfast Jellyfish
Tomorrow Comes Today
Empire Ants
Broken
Dirty Harry
El Mañana
White Flag (with intro)
To Binge
DARE
Glitter Freeze
Punk
Plastic Beach
———
Cloud Of Unknowing
Feel Good Inc.
Clint Eastwood
Don’t Get Lost In Heaven
Demon Days

That awesome photo about is courtesy of The Vancouver Sun because mine aren’t nearly as good.

I’ve now seen Deerhunter four times (previously 1, 2, 3) in just under eighteen months and, man, I will just never tire of seeing those four guys live. Even though this current tour sees the band playing a relatively fixed setlist (not sure why), they still managed to make last night’s gig at the Rickshaw Theatre seem pretty much on the edge of total chaos.

Being a big fan of Halcyon Digest I was thrilled that the band dug deep into that record on stage last night. Unsurprsingly, a lot of the new songs were even better live including Don’t Cry, Memory Boy and pretty intense renditions of both Helicopter and He Would Have Laughed to end the main set. Even Lockett’s songs (Desire Lines and Fountain Stairs) were more vibrant on stage and his voice adds a nice counterpoint to Bradford’s tones.

My minor quibble of the evening was the inclusion of only one song off Cryptograms (Hazel St.) but since I’ve seen a lot of that record live in the past I wasn’t that disappointed. There wasn’t even that much of Microcastle but what we got was mind-blowing (namely an epic Nothing Ever Happened and mini-epic Little Kids). Special mention must also be made of the current arrangement of Rainwater Cassette Exchange (download below): new drumbeat, new guitar sounds…it’s practically a completely new song. LOVED it.

The encore ended with a rather extended take on Fluorescent Grey that was the closest the band got all night to falling off the edge. Bradford was clambering all over the stage and abusing his guitar but the band came together again to end on a really powerful note. Great to hear something off that EP as well.

So yeah, another memorable Deerhunter gig. And I already can’t wait for them to come back to Vancouver.

Setlist
Desire Lines
Hazel St.
Don’t Cry
Revival
Never Stops
Little Kids
Memory Boy
Rainwater Cassette Exchange
Fountain Stairs
Nothing Ever Happened
Helicopter
He Would Have Laughed
———
Cover Me (Slowly)
Agoraphobia
Fluorescent Grey

The band recently played Washington D.C. and the gig was recorded by NPR. You can stream the show here. It gives you a pretty solid indication about what the current tour is sounding like. From that gig I’ve uploaded the previously mentioned version of Rainwater Cassette Exchange the band are currently playing. It’s awesome.

Download
Deerhunter – Rainwater Cassette Exchange (live in Washington DC)

It’s tough when a band plays an absolutely monumentally unforgettable show as Broken Social Scene did at the Metro in Sydney in 2006 – every time I see them now I compare them back to that special night nearly five years ago. I’m doing my best to not do that right now because, from a completely neutral point of view, last night’s Broken Social Scene gig in Vancouver (their first of a two-night stand) was truly excellent.

From 10:40 until 12:45, Broken Social Scene demonstrated why they are one of my very favourite bands and one of the most entertaining live acts around. You’re just never quite sure what’s going to come next once Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Andrew Whiteman, Charles Spearin, Justin Peroff and the rest of the gang get in full flight.

But it was the unexpected surprises last night that I think I’ll remember most: the perfect execution of their quieter, ballady material. Lover’s Spit, for instance, was remarkable…I’ve never heard it done better. It began with just Kevin alone on stage at the keyboard for a few verses; then Charlie Spearin began adding some fluttering trumpet, while Whiteman played a very restrained harmonica that Canning accentuated with a melodica. It was just beautiful and totally different from how I’ve seen it done in the past. I felt much the same about Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl. Charles Spearin even busted out the banjo! The song was gorgeous and Andrew Whiteman’s wife Ariel provided some great vocal support for Lisa Lobsinger.

The inclusion of the ambient Guilty Cubicles from Feel Good Lost was the first time (I think…maybe in 2003 I caught a song or two) I have ever seen anything played from the Broken debut. Sweetest Kill and All To All, both from this year’s Forgiveness Rock Record were other “quiet” spots in the gig, both providing a new type of sound in the Broken Social Scene set. All To All, one of Lisa’s best vocal outings of the night, was particularly effective live as its finale burst to life on stage.

BSS-regular Lisa wasn’t the only female vocalist last night, however. As previously mentioned, on numerous songs Andrew Whiteman’s wife Ariel joined proceedings. In fact, on Almost Crimes, she took the co-lead vocal with Kevin and absolutely belted out every line. I doubt I was the only one thinking that she would fit in just fine with Lisa as a regular member of the group as Almost Crimes was one of last night’s finest moments.

Over the course of the two-hour gig the band played most of Forgiveness Rock Record (only omissions: Chase Scene, Highway Slipper Jam, Sentimental X’s, Me And My Hand) and it’s easy to see why: the variety of sounds on the record are indicative of what a Broken Social Scene live gig is like. From Whiteman’s lead vocal take on Art House Director through Canning’s Pavement-esque Water In Hell to the powerful explosions and fantastic guitars of World Sick, the new stuff is best heard on stage. Romance To The Grave, another FRR track, was a bit of a surprise in the set…until you remember that lead Sam Prekop of The Sea And Cake was around (they are opening the BSS tour) to provide his vocals.

In fact, The Sea And Cake (I missed 99% of their set) helped out a lot. John McEntire (also of Tortoise fame) not only produced Forgiveness Rock Record but he was also up on stage for most of last night’s gig providing added percussion and Archer Prewitt helped out on guitar for a few songs. The band was rounded out by David and Julia French on horns meaning there were between 6 and 11 people on stage at any one time. While some may long for the days where the band could tour with Metric, Stars, or Feist at will, Broken Social Scene certainly have a huge group of talented friends ready to help keep the juggernaut running.

The power of that juggernaut was perhaps best exemplified in the insanely awesome back-to-back pairing of KC Accidental and Meet Me In The Basement. Meet Me In The Basement was extended to accommodate birthday wishes to Justin Peroff behind the drums but I think the song could have gone for half an hour and no one in the crowd would have minded. Just…YES.

As the final notes of Ibi Dreams Of Pavement faded out and Kevin Drew bid his farewell to Vancouver I immediately began regretting not having tickets to the second show tonight.

Broken Social Scene. Always. Yes.

Setlist
World Sick
Texico Bitches
7/4 (Shoreline)
Fire Eye’d Boy
Forced To Love
All To All
Stars And Sons
Cause = Time
Sweetest Kill
Art House Director
Romance To The Grave
Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl
Guilty Cubicles
Superconnected
Almost Crimes
Ungrateful Little Father
KC Accidental
Meet Me In The Basement
Lover’s Spit
Looks Just Like The Sun
Water In Hell
Ibi Dreams Of Pavement (A Better Day)

Photos here. As an added bonus I finally got to meet @gotsound last night. We’ve seemingly been following each other back and forth between Sydney and Vancouver the last few years.