Anyone who might have stumbled in off the street (as if- tickets for both shows sold out months ago) into one of the two annual thanksgiving 54-40 shows at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver would have felt the immediate wave of contagious energy spreading from the band, into the crowd of mostly 50-somethings, through the stretches of the ballroom, and pouring down the stairs to the street.
For the duration of the show, hundreds of listeners followed the band’s lead in throwing their bodies and voices into the full range of the band’s extensive repertoire of Vancouver classics. The audience carried an invariable ease and full-heartedness that can only come from hundreds of lifetimes spent listening to the same rock songs over, over and over again. This was a crowd who had been faithful to the Tsawwassen-based band as they grew up through the ‘80s, spread their sound through Canada, and developed an international fan base.
The show was opened by Toronto-based The Skydiggers, who delivered energetic, classically-Canadian rock that is decades in the making. A perfect pairing in style, charisma and energy to 54-40, a group that is 30+ years in- with no sign of stopping, as they put it.
Words never ringing more true to the quartet – composed of lead vocalist Neil Osbourne, bassist Brad Merritt, drummer Matt Johnson, and guitarist Dave Genn – than on this weekend. Hours before the October 5th show, the beloved band had seven of their vintage, one-of-a-kind guitars stolen out of a u-Haul van in New Westminster. The instruments were worth a combined $50,000 – but irreplaceable to members of the band.
“You fall in love with [the instruments] and you feel so good when you play them…they’re part of your identity”, said one in an interview with Global News.
With only a few hours to absorb the loss, find borrowed and rented instruments, and turn around to deliver a top-quality show to hundreds of fans, the band held true to their promise of not stopping – or even slowing.
The group delivered an unwavering, uncompromised show, with enthusiasm and intensity that spanned the show and only grew as the band rocked through extended renditions of fan favourites like How’s Your Day Going, Sucker For Your Love, and, the long-time Canadian favourite that nobody could get enough of, Ocean Pearl. To say the band left the crowd satisfied is an understatement- they played a full show and only stopped after not one, but two encores.
“Well this wasn’t supposed to happen” – Osbourne, after relentless cheering, stomping and howling pulled the band back on stage for the second time.
In a brief pause between songs, Osbourne, perhaps reflecting on their loss that day, paused to say as much to himself as to the blur of faces before him:
“At thanksgiving we count our blessings. More importantly, we should make our blessings count. I don’t know, man, I just want love.”
If what the band wanted was love, they got it that night at the Commodore- from the fan sporting an original ‘80s 54-40 jersey, to the familiar faces the band pointed out in the crowd, and the somewhat-spontaneous but totally-awesome on-stage collaboration with Andy Maize of The Skydiggers.
…They also got five of their seven guitars back a few days later, thanks to anonymous love from a police tip leading to a storage locker in Surrey.
A lot has happened with The Carters since the first On the Run tour in 2014. The public has since witnessed a saga of marital issues in the form of songs on Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” and their collab album “Everything Is Love.” For their most recent tour, On The Run 2, The Carters tied it all together and put on a show that tells the story of betrayal, confession, forgiveness and, most of all, love.
Initially for their duets, Jay-Z and Beyoncé used catwalks that ran across different sides of the crowd, allowing them to address the audience separately, symbolizing a divide. Come second half, The Carters shared a floating platform that moved over the crowd as clips of them renewing their vows played on the big screen. The band then performed through silhouettes of church windows, exemplifying forgiveness and redemption.
When performing their solo pieces, the couple had separate artistic aesthetics and owned the spotlight in their own ways. Beyoncé; with her army of strong female backup dancers in lush costumes that accented her glittering body suits. She oozed female empowerment through her choreography, performing as a unit with her dancers in “Formation” and “Run the World (Girls).” Jay-Z hypnotized the crowd with his masculine, truculent performance. He took over the stadium with his literal flame throwing spectacle of “Run This Town” and displayed political unrest in “99 Problems” where he wore a bull-proof vest and featured mugshots of fellow celebrities including Jane Fonda, Snoop Dogg and David Bowie.
Separately their performances brought messages of change within social justice and trials within ones self, making the large stadium feel intimate. Jay-Z’s performance of “The Story of OJ” and Beyoncé’s “Resentment” brought beauty with the small, quiet moments every show needs. When The Carters came together and performed as a unit with classics like “Crazy in Love,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” and “Naughty Girl,” the night moved towards reconciliation, bringing back these feel good favourites of the early 2000’s.
On the Run 2 made you feel like you were apart of this Hollywood ride, full of extravagance, beauty, political substance and personal trial, all leading to one union. Beyoncé in a long glistening black gown with gold embroidery stands next to Jay-Z as they bring the crowd down with “Young Forever.” The couple share a kiss as you experience The Carters’ happy ending where Everything is Love.
grandson (aka Jordan Edward Benjamin) is a Toronto-based musician who blurs the lines between rap, blues, rock, reggae, and electronic. It’s difficult to mesh such a variety of genres together, but grandson does it OH so well.
I had only heard about grandson (whose stage name stems from his grandfather being a major influence) for the first time maybe a week before he took over the stage at VENUE on the 6th of September. Blood // Water was played for me and I was instantly hooked.
It didn’t take long for me to catch on that his music, at times, is very politically motivated. His lyrics hit us hard as they display a significant amount of relevance in the world today. Songs about overdose, being broke, friends and family, corruption, etc. grandson is the start of a rock n roll revolution, “Rock n Roll is not, and shouldn’t be, what it used to.” His words make it clear that he’s attempting to evolve the genre, and so far…it’s working!
Not only did grandson absolutely dominate the stage, but his backing band also displayed an equal amount of enthusiasm. At no point, during the whole set, did any one of them stand still. They had our attention, from start to finish. It’s not every day we find a band so captivating that we don’t even want to leave the crowd to grab a drink!
This year, in addition the rad Hip Hop and R&B heavy lineup, Safe and Sound will feature some live art installations, host stand-up comedians, and add a basketball court into the mix.
Safe and Sound prides itself on being more than just a music festival by adding exciting elements to enhance the overall guest experience. So gear up, this fest will be one for the books!
Internationally renowned street artists Ben Tour, Tars, Naks, and Akews One, with decades of experience from graffiti to oil painted canvases, will be showcasing some live art pieces. Starting off with nothing but a blank canvas, festival goers will be able to watch the artists’ progress from start to finish.
It’s almost that time of year again! One of 987‘s favourite festivals is back and better than ever. Rifflandia will be taking over Victoria, BC for its 11th edition from September 13th to 16th, and we can’t wait!
As usual, the festival’s flagship main stage (and side stage) will be located at Royal Athletic Park, just minutes from downtown Victoria. For those of you who have never been, imagine this: world class music, green grass, delicious food + beer, and rad company. *All Ages*
If you’re like us and want the festival to keep going through the night, Rifflandia offers a couple night stages. Just walking distance from Royal Athletic Park, on Discovery St; this is where the night begins 😉 They have an impressive slate of artists set to play, so bring your dancing shoes! Sorry kiddos, this area is 19+
Whatever your music taste is, how ever old you are (minus the night stages), there will be something for you at Rifflandia (987 guarantee)!
Will Toledo’s project, Car Seat Headrest, has become a prolific examination of the human condition, it also happens to be noises that some people call independent rock and roll (Indie rock).
However, it came from humble beginnings. Toledo initially released eleven albums on bandcamp (2010-2014) before signing a cool record deal with Matador Records in 2015.
In this way, Toledo joins a niche of now-mainstream musicians that began releasing their sounds into the internet void, alongside the likes of Frankie Cosmos and Alex G. This is an empowering age we live in, as individuals like Toledo can act as beacons for our own potential affectations that we may hope to instill upon the world (from our rooms).
Car Seat Headrest in particular is known for super catchy licks and melodies while embodying nervous confessions. Because perhaps the most relatable we can be as humans is when we admit freely past blunders of patheticness, embarrassment, or anxiety. It seems that Toledo has found the perfect way to do this seamlessly, over and over and over, in each song. It is so damn relatable and catchy. Anyways, the show-
What I expected was a confessional, what I got was one of the sweatiest, emotional, beautiful mosh pits I have ever experienced.
Seven boys, accompanied with seven size 26 waist levis, were on stage. And they continued playing song after song theatrically and with perfect build up- peppering in hits like Fill in The Blank (first track from the critically acclaimed album “Teens of Denial” released in 2016), which sent the crowd erupting along through song, and chorus:
“You have no right to be depressed!
You haven’t tried hard enough to like it
You haven’t seen enough of this world yet
But it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts …
Stop your whining, try again!
No one wants to cause you pain
They’re just trying to let some air in
But you hold your breath, you hold your breath you hold it
I hold my breath I hold my breath I hold it …”
Which seems like a lot when you write it out or read it, but believe me, if you have ever dealt with mental illness, screaming this series of words while jumping around hundreds of other humans rejoicing with you about literally being so vulnerable, blaming yourself for your faults, suffering, and simply making fun of that, is so so so beautiful and healing. This alone made it worth getting up out of my bed thirty minutes before the concert, after accidentally eating two bags of chips for dinner and becoming the human embodiment of a slug.
“Embrace the pathetic nervousness of the human condition. Your life will be full of it and you can do nothing about it”
Capitol Hill Block Party is back! They’ve been killing it for over two decades, and this year’s edition is no exception. With world-class acts across the genre board set to play in this Seattle neighbourhood, the weekend of July 20-22 is gearing up to be one of the summer’s best.
(FATHER JOHN MISTY)
Capitol Hill, a colourful urban area just east of Downtown Seattle, will be host to this 6 stage festival and its 20,000+ attendees. This diverse neighbourhood boasts its hip bars, eateries and clubs, and is also the centre of the city’s LGBTQ community.
Previous years artists include:
ODESZA // Run the Jewels // CHVRCHES // A$AP Rocky // MGMT // Macklemore // The Lumineers // Jai Wolf // Mura Masa // Thundercat // The Flaming Lips // Girl Talk // Spoon // STRFKR // Jamie xx // Fleet Foxes // Vampire Weekend // Father John Misty // Angel Olsen // Dillon Francis // The War on Drugs // TV on the Radio // Grimes // Danny Brown // Thee Oh Sees // Major Lazer // Diplo // Lizzo // Toro Y Moi // Crystal Castles // Wolf Parade
(SPOON)
This year, CHBP have outdone themselves, yet again. With artists such as: Father John Misty, Brockhampton, Dillon Francis, Oh Wonder, and Alvvays, all announced as a part of the initial lineup release. Which means there’s more to come 🙂
(ALVVAYS)
On top of the already amazing Capitol Hill restaurants, CHBP will host a selection of Seattle’s best eats on their festival grounds, along side multiple beer gardens (21+) and a variety of bars. More info here.
(WOLF PARADE)
Nine Eight Seven can’t wait for this year’s instalment and we hope to see you all there!
The Fox Cabaret was set to host Gus Dapperton, Up and coming Groove Rocker from Warwick, New York. Gus reached e-fame, as so many young talented artists are doing, from his devastatingly catchy singles “Moodna, Once With Grace”, and “I’m Just Snacking” from his first EP release of the latter’s name. Self-produced and sultry, Gus is also known for his fashionably hip donning of the bowlcut, dyed green with an ambitiously elevated hairline, as well has his crisp perfect generation-Z stylishness.
The Fox is a venue which sets the mood for many, as the name suggests, cabaret-ish acts, with high ceilings, a jutting stage and disco ball strung from the ceiling. It really is the perfect place to host the show, with Gus’ nostalgic-yet-modern take on sexy groove rock.
Gus bounces on stage and begins by introducing his bandmates, including his sister playing the keyboard, all of whom he proclaims are six foot five inches tall when they aren’t. Thus, a fun air of whimsicality introduces the set which Gus continues in between and throughout. The crowd’s excitement is palpable.
When the songs begin it takes you to as if it were a serenade, forcing you, the room, to move, as if it were all, the world, the sweetheart.
It’s all just so damn sexy. Gus’s dance moves are just as vivid as in his edited music videos, and he is just so terribly nice at his banter in between songs. The whole Vancouver crowd is swaying along, which is saying a lot for the city which usually has a hard time with something as simple and easy and beautiful as dancing.
It really felt like he was enjoying the enjoyment of those in witness, a performative selflessness; or rather, that as much as Gus was performing for the audience, too was the attention of the audience a performance for him. It was a symbiotic show like that. He was there to please us, and we were there to please him. It is something that perhaps, in Gus’ younger generation is a lot stronger- the urge to been seen, noticed, a craving for attention. Though the era of social media and connectedness is exactly the thing that helps people like Gus achieve their status, it is through that same demon that one can get lost in self-consciousness and image and persona.
With Gus there is a trifecta of performance- the music, the aesthetic, and the show. None is missing and that is why he will continue to succeed.
The show comes to a close with an encore of Twist and Shout by the Beatles (my personal favourite Beatles’ song, and, let’s face it, probably Gus’ as well.)
The Biltmore cabaret was set to show the acts of Pinky Pinky, garage-rock come-ups from L.A., on tour with the ubiquitous Strokes’ guitarist Albert Hammond Jr, a tour celebrating the release of his latest solo-work project, Francis Trouble.
Not knowing but except the vague sounds to be heard from going to a “rock concert”, and being a diehard early Strokes fan, I am fairly prepared for any sort of guitar-lead acts awaiting m’ears.
Pinky Pinky is a trio playing as I walked in with wicked talent, as I deem any band with a drummer/lead singer combination. Funny enough, the only other drum/singer I have seen played on the very same stage years ago (Whitney).
Noticeable are the roles of each instrument. Pinky Pinky is a band with three lead musicians, with them all sharing an equal part of the sound: bassist with powerful complex lines, drum/singer with the beat n’ super haunting vocals, and guitarist with sharp progressions. I figured this is how a garage-rock Angel Olsen would sound- a wicked preface for a main act sure to please.
And what a spread like hummus on bread, the Albert Hammond Jr band was composed of five fellas including him; three guitarists, one drummer, and good ol’ Albert Hammond Jr singing like he does.
There is a perfor-motive to every show. I am sure Albert knows that Strokes fans will flock to see him no matter what he sounds like. They have come to watch him sing pop indie-rock, with albeit his own original vocal cadence, It is what The Strokes would be without Julian Casablancas, and if there were simply a shuffling of musician hierarchy.
It is not bad music by any means, it is just not wholly original, which is what you’d expect. He isn’t known for his sound, but for the sound he is a part of, that he helped create.
Throughout the show, Albert is interacting with everything. At one point he pulls down the projector screen in a childesque wonder kind of way. He’s chatting away and has good banter in between songs. He is a veteran after all.
If you are a Strokes fan, this was a good concert. If you are an Albert Hammond Jr fan, this was a great concert. Loud, nostalgic and quite a performance. Though personally, I’ll still spin Is This It before Francis Trouble.
On Tuesday March 13th at The Biltmore, Indie Pop performers COIN front-lined an energetic set for all All-Ages crowd.
As it was the youngest group of people I’ve encountered in one music venue since 2008, you can also imagine that this concert was chalked full of youthful enthusiasm: lots of squealing/shreaking, hair flips, crowd belting in unison the band’s top songs on Spotify, dabs (or whatever those are called), and way too many phones. I felt like such a grump but all ages shows also mean no alcohol on premises. Clearly, when it comes to kitschy pop, I appreciate being allowed to order a beer to help me swallow it down.
Old-millennial-throwing-shade-on-slightly-less-old-millennials-and-their-music-taste aside, this band brought a nicely curated, paced and energized set.
The band has two full length albums. “COIN” out in 2015, and “How will you Know if You Never Try” from 2017. The band is composed of four instrumentalists (guitar, bass, piano/synth, percussion), and paired their music with one lead singer and two backups. All really well sung- absolutely on pitch. COIN know their instruments too. The background/lights were pixelated rainbow hues, a groovy sunset, and pictures of the band members in what looked like their first class photos respectively.
Lines like “I’m not your boyfriend” and “What’s another night out” seemed to reaaaalllly resonate with the pre-19’s ;). Their lyrics aren’t carrying the most depth, but their songs are super catchy.
I personally like COIN‘s older stuff. My favourite of the night was “Run” from their debut album.
COIN was all and all a good time. I appreciated their clearly amazing musicality and stagemanship. Visually they were captivating too. Unfortunately I just like their older stuff more.
In summary: not my favourite crowd, not my favourite lyrics, and a lil too kitschy, but the crowd was eating them up and that’s really all that matters.
Also no encore…maybe the kids these days don’t know they have to ask for one?
