Chet Faker - Live at The Commodore Ballroom

A few weeks ago I tried to get tickets for this show and was devastated when I found out it was sold out. Tickets on Kijiji were around $100, which is way more than I was willing to pay for a concert, so I faced the hard fact that this was a show I would have to sit out. As the day got closer, I was a actually a bit relieved because I had an insanely busy week with school and presentations and labs and probably shouldn't have been going to a concert anyways. At around 3pm I got a text that a friend had an extra ticket. Even though I had way to much school work to get done and knew I really shouldn't do it, I hastily took him up on the extra ticket.

Chet Faker played a rowdy and packed Commodore Ballroom. He was the best electronic musician I have ever seen. I hesitate to even call him a DJ because I feel like most DJs just hit play and jump around with their arms in the air. Chet was sweating through his beard, and pouring every once of himself into each knob and switch while performing his own vocals. It was quite incredible to watch. I was surprised when he played 'Drop the game' (one of my favourite songs at the moment) because I thought it was a Flume song. Turns out Chet Faker and Flume are roomates in Australia and created that song together. The highlight of the show for me was when he played Gold in the encore which is my favourite. The only downside of the show was that we couldn't understand a word that he said to the crowd because his accent was so thick. Overall, I am totally glad that I took the opportunity to go even though the next day of school was brutal. Sometimes you have to be a little irresponsible.

Owen Pallett - Live at The Imperial

I am now back in Vancouver for the next 8 months, which is exciting because there are so many great music venues with SO MANY good shows coming up (and not enough money haha). 

Owen Pallet played at The Imperial, a new music venue in downtown Vancouver, on September 9th. I had never been to The Imperial before and was pleasantly surprised by how well set up it was for live shows, and even had a fish tank. The only downside is that it's just around the corner from East Hastings, making for a bit of a sketchy endeavor. Fiction in Foxes and Avi Buffalo were the openers. I don't particularly like Avi Buffalo mostly because of his vocals, however they were much better live than recorded and had some great guitar riffs and keyboard.  It was hilarious when a lady rushed to the stage after their set shouting, "Owen! Owen! Why didn't you play 'I am not afraid'" to which he replied, "Because I'm not Owen Pallet". How embarrassing eh?! But it was true...they were no Owen Pallet.

I am a huge fan of Owen's music but was completely swept away by his live performance. He began solo with just his keyboard and violin to create the most beautiful music. It was amazing seeing the songs live and seeing how all the different sounds are made and come together with the looping. It was really quite impressive that he was able to keep track of everything while singing too! Song of five & six was probably my favourite from this section. About half way through the set, Owen's band came to join him. They comprised of a base player and an incredibly talented drummer. The bass and drums added even more colour to Owen's looping. 'The Riverbed' was particularly mind melting. I was a bit sad however because he never played 'Man with no ankles' which is by far my favourite Owen Pallet song, and the song I was most excited to hear live. However, he closed the show with 'Lewis takes off his shirt', which is another great song and was a perfect way to end the show. That song was stuck in my head for the remainder of the evening (even after a freaky screaming homeless lady lunged at me on the way to the bus stop).

Album: Andy Shauf - The Bearer of Bad News

 

Andy Shauf is a Canadian musician from Regina. I was hooked on his music after hearing his first song at the Calgary Folk Fest. He has a unique voice and his melodies are hauntingly beautiful with lovely lyrics that tell dark stories. 'The Bearer of Bad News' is gorgeous and captivating  journey from start to finish. The piano, guitar, and clarinet coalesce to create a timeless sound. 'Hometowen Hero' and 'Jesus she's a good girl' are my personal favourite tracks. Definitely recommend this gem.

 

Their hearts weren't ripe so they fell apart

Current Obsession: Alt J 'Left Hand Free'

"Hey Shady Baby I'm Hot

Like a Prodigal Son"

The perfect song for the last days of summer. 

Love the beginning. 

 

Arcade Fire - Live at The Saddledome

 

Arcade Fire played at the Calgary Saddledome this summer and I was lucky enough to snag floor tickets nearly a year in advance for a front row experience. I knew they are a large band but I was shocked to see 12 people on stage playing so many different instruments from bongos to accordion. The band kicked off the show strong with 'Normal Person' from their latest album Reflector. They didn't waste any time before getting into their older stuff and played 'Rebellion Lies' next. I nearly cried. Rebellion Lies was one of those songs from my youth (junior high to be exact) that first showed me how good music could be. I loved the message to not blindly accept the world but to take action and to not believe people who tell you that you can't do something. This song was the highlight of the show for me. The energy was high throughout the whole show and the songs were a good mix from all of their albums and included a cover of Calgary's Feist's 'I feel it all'. 'Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains)' really stood out to me as one of their best live songs. The band closed with an epic performance of 'Wake Up' dedicated to Robin Williams complete with confetti. Although I am not normally a fan of arena concerts, and the Saddledome's acoustics are far from great, Arcade Fire took advantage of the space and theatrics while staying true to the music resulting in an outstanding performance.

"I need the darkness,

someone please cut the lights."