Category Archives: real live action

Casiokids

with Light Pollution & Einar Stokka, August 21 @ Media Club

Review By Sally White

I’m not sure what I expected the crowd at a Euro electro-pop show to look like, but it wasn’t what I saw at the Media Club on Saturday night. Opener Einar Stokka, a college friend of the Casiokids and self described “melancholic act,” played his mellow acoustic rock with notable stage presence, despite the crowd of roughly 25 people tightly hugging the walls of the club. He seemed to think he was still in the US, but was forgiven for that slip after offering his CDs for free at the merch table. Up next was Chicago-based band Light Pollution who did their best to get the crowd up on their feet and “fill the void” with their scratchy, bouncy pop rock, managing to get one solo male jumping around front and centre to the song “Good Feelings.” Read More »

Girls Rock Camp Vancouver Showcase

August 7 @ Rio Theatre

Review By Kaitlin McNabb

Girls Rock Camp is the ultimate volunteer run project. Six women spend the year organizing a weeklong camp for girls ages eight to 18 to learn how to play an instrument and write a song; giving them a chance to form a band and perform on a real stage, all while instilling the necessary ideology that women are equal, women are awesome and they can do anything they set their minds to. It may sound obvious—of course women are important and capable—but the reality remains society, especially pop culture and mainstream media, treat women as objects, anomalies, and auxiliary citizens. What Girls Rock Camp seems to aspire to do is not only instill a healthy dose of feminism in these young girls, but also try to create an area, nay a culture, where there is a female presence. These young girls get to flourish in an environment of strong female leaders and encouraging male allies while developing new skills and a burgeoning self confidence that will be hard to rattle.

The Rio is a theatre like any other; a touch darker, a touch danker, but similar nonetheless. On this night, the night of the Girls Rock Camp Showcase, it was transformed into a venue filled with support, community, excitement and of course, the satanic forces that are rock ‘n’ roll. The screen was filled with pictures of the days that passed; photos of each band, the scream circles and music practice. The speakers blared the songs of last year’s bands, letting everyone know what we were in store for. Read More »

Joanna Newsom

with Robin Pecknold, August 5 @ Vogue Theatre

Review By Reilly Wood

Joanna Newsom, photo by Gerald Deo

Joanna Newsom, photo by Gerald Deo

Standing ovations usually don’t mean much at the shows that Discorder covers. First, most of the venues don’t have seating, and second, most crowds are usually polite enough to offer some restrained clapping. This show was different—when harpist/pianist Joanna Newsom’s set ended on Thursday, the crowd erupted from their seats and the applause was deafening.

Robin Pecknold, best known as the lead singer for the Seattle harmonic folk band Fleet Foxes, opened the show with a solo set showcasing a lot of new material. It was clear that he’s a talented guy, but also somewhat limited. Imagine a Fleet Foxes album without the gorgeous vocal harmonies, and you should have a good understanding of his newer work. Read More »

We Are Scientists

July 27 @ Biltmore Cabaret

Review By Sarshar Hosseinnia

When the shaggy duo of bassist Chris Cain and vocalist/guitarist Keith Murray serenely walked onto the stage you’d have thought they would have carried the presence of a band who has achieved a certain degree of commercial success since their last outing in Vancouver at the Red Room in 2006. The truth is however, We Are Scientists has yet to fully hit the heights many expected them to after their dance-heavy second album, With Love and Squalor!

Since that time they’ve lost a drummer but gained one with even more big-show experience in Razorlight’s Andy Burrows, and created their own series on MTV called Steve Wants His Money, which revolves around Cain and Murray’s escape to England to find money they owe an American man named Steve. It was interesting to note then that the band casually told fans at the loungy Biltmore Cabaret they were touring in search of a new permanent home and gave the audience the chance to put forward why Vancouver can give the band the stability that they so badly need at this point of their career. This was evident when Murray sarcastically quipped that 2010’s Barbara was the bands’ 27th studio album, giving off the vibe that they were tired of being someone’s opening act and performing at clubs like the Biltmore. This may have had something to do with them performing for only an hour but what an hour it was; an energetic
show began at a frantic pace with “Nice Guys”, a tune with heavy guitar licks and catchy lyrics that even the most casual fan could sing along to. Read More »

Bear in Heaven

with Twin Sister & The Whitsundays, July 24 @ Biltmore Cabaret

Review By Simon Foreman

Bear in Heaven, photo by Gerald Deo

Bear in Heaven, photo by Gerald Deo

As the hordes flocked to the city’s bays and beaches for the evening’s fireworks, a few others ambled over to Prince Edward St. to be greeted by the winsome sounds of Edmonton’s Whitsundays wafting through the Biltmore’s wide-open doors. A five-piece, they played light indie rock complete with summery, sweet harmonies to a sparse audience of early birds. Their latest full-length, Saul, explores styles from weirdo-psych to earnest folk, but the performance was homogeneous and ponderous, save for a theremin-fuelled blowout finale.

Twin Sister, by contrast, found themselves playing to a dense crowd near the stage. They were basically Chairlift with extra guitars and a shot of caffeine, with everything in place to conjure up a dreamy retro sound: demure female vocals, jangly guitars and Cure-ish keyboards. It was entrancing and exciting by turns, a nice complement to the setting sun outside and the cooling breeze from the still-open front doors.

Bear in Heaven, photo by Gerald Deo

Bear in Heaven, photo by Gerald Deo


Finally, as the outdoors were shrouded in dusk, the stage inside became bathed in red light and the three moustachioed gentlemen of Bear in Heaven took their places. Wolf howls and hoots from the crowd were constant throughout the evening, prompting singer Jon Philpot and bassist Adam Wills to do some howling of their own. Amid the fun and games, the band hit all the high notes from new album Beast Forth Rest Mouth, as Philpot’s face strained to convey the flooding emotion of “Ultimate Satisfaction” or execute the mournful wails of “Beast in Peace.” “Wholehearted Mess” created an undulating dance party, and both “Lovesick Teenagers” and its reprise, “Casual Goodbye,” were just what everyone desired: a release of the uncertainties of youth in perfect three-minute pop songs.

Closing out with a distorted cover of Lindstrøm & Christabelle, the headliners made fireworks in their own way, ones fashioned from echoing synths and rolling drums, and ones that came without the risk of a police beatdown at English Bay.

Quintron

with Thee Manipulators & Channels 3x4, July 12 @ Biltmore Cabaret

Review By Chris-a-riffic

Quintron, photo by Steve Louie

Quintron, photo by Steve Louie

I have two points to make about this wonderful show. First, I hesitated seeing the magnificiant organ-driven soul duo from Louisiana because my last time viewing their grand spectacle in Austin, TX was possibly the greatest show I had ever seen. It was at SXSW five years ago, it was packed and I had no idea what to expect. This time out, they played on a Monday to, at most, 75 people. But, those were 75 hardcore Quintron fans. And those two folks from New Orleans are pros. The set started with a blood-splattered and psychedelic puppet show by the lovely Miss Pussycat. The story was about pizza and cops and beheadings and we all loved it. Then Quintron came on, revved up his Drum Buddy, turned on the lights to his keyboard-driven ‘57 Chevy, took off his shirt halfway through and destroyed. Truly. Everyone screamed “I AM A BAD ASS!” to their great tune “Swamp Buggy Badass.” They played “Love Is Like a Blob” to perfection. And the crowd were being wonderful spazzes. So good. Read More »

The Wilderness of Manitoba

with The Mountains & the Trees, July 22 @ Little Mountain Gallery

Review By Kaitlin McNabb

Wilderness of Manitoba, photo by Steve Louie

Wilderness of Manitoba, photo by Steve Louie

Housed in the small, charmingly rustic, Little Mountain Gallery, the comfort and smoothness of folk could be heard. The crowd lingered and chatted or strolled past inspired Main St. drawings, slowly converging in front of a small stage lined with a painted landscape backdrop, scattered instruments and an assortment of folding chairs assembled in front. This was a venue to highlight singular acoustic bliss and enveloping melodic resonance.

The Mountains & the Trees, a solo unit hailing from the Eastern coast—Newfoundland to be exact—took the stage with a relaxed and inviting presence. Charmed by his accent and anecdotal banter, I enjoyed listening to his plucky but smooth guitar riffs, along with his banjo work, as he strived at an uplifting melancholic feel; however, the lyrics though earnest, gave the songs a bland tilt and I found my attention wandering. He quickly brought me back with “More More More” which interjected a new sound and churning pace, making it clear why it was the single off his new album. Read More »

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti

with Magic Kids & Puro Instinct, July 14 @ Biltmore Cabaret

Review and VIdeo By Duncan McHugh

Ariel Pink, photo by Steve Louie

Ariel Pink, photo by Steve Louie

This was a weird one. I was anticipating this show for a while, and looking forward to all three bands. The crowd though was a bit, uh, rambunctious, and while I enjoyed all of the bands, people that I chatted with at the show were all over the place, some loving it and others hating it. Like I said, weird night.

LA’s Puro Instinct, formerly Pearl Harbor, opened things up with their sleepy Californian pop. Led by sisters Piper and Sky Kaplan, 22 and 15 respectively, they made a splash last year with the gorgeous, jangly tune “Luv Goon.” At the merch table, I asked them why they changed their name and they said they just wanted to. Okay. Their newer songs have the same sighing vocal delivery and dream pop guitars. Maybe a little out-of-place in a hot and sweaty basement, but I appreciated it, as did Ariel Pink who joined the band for a couple of songs. Read More »

Like Animals Again

with Apollo Ghosts, Language-Arts & Gut Feeling, June 25 @ Funky Winkerbeans

Review By Angela Yen

Funky Winkerbeans hosted Like Animal Again’s debut album release party and though the doors were at 8 p.m., of course the show doesn’t start until 11 p.m. After a long sound check, the first band, Gut Feeling delivered a set of generic punk songs, consisting of the usual three power chords, harsh vocals and eye-rolling comments such as, “Fuck Gordon Campbell.” They seemed stoked to be a part of Like Animal Again’s album release party, and were generous enough to give out bath bombs, but it’s not a good sign when instead of watching the band, you find yourself more amused by the guy skanking in the front row. Read More »

Mode Moderne

July 10 @ Biltmore Cabaret

Review By Angela Yen

Vancouver’s own Mode Moderne is one of those bands that have clear musical influences and are able to meld it all together with such ease. After seeing the band open for the Raveonettes back in November, I couldn’t wait to catch them live again. Glory Days at the Biltmore featured the Goth/New Wave group and it’s confirmed, they really are the love child of The Smiths and Joy Division.

Instantly, the thumping bass had the crowd bopping their heads and lead singer, Philip Intile, pulls you in with his powerful haunting voice. Intile’s vocals are often compared to Ian Curtis and on songs such as “Disco Ruff,” the comparison is obvious. However, when the band slowed it down with the alluring track “Rattle,” the vocals possessed a warmer and almost romantic quality, proving that Intile is doing much more than simply imitating. Read More »

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