Sticky Fingers // PNE Forum
At last Sticky Fingers made their long-awaited return to Vancouver on April 3rd at the PNE Forum to a Sold-Out crowd.
Sticky Fingers is one of the quintessential Australian indie/psychedelic rock bands you will most likely hear blasting in every ski restore across Canada. It was no surprise to walk into the PNE Forum and feel like you took a trip down under with probably 80% of the audience being Australian themselves!
But don’t worry there was something for us Canadians too, with our very own Ontario-born Ruby Waters kicking off the show. A star in her own right, Ruby Waters has sold out her own headlining tours across Canada, USA, Europe and the UK. She has toured as an opening act with the likes of City and Colour, and Aussie indie rock royalty Ocean Alley.
The Juno-Nominated artist took no time warming up the crowd with her raw, emotional lyrics. Ruby Waters has a grit to her vocal performance that captivated everyone, and soon enough the entire crowd were hanging on to every note she sang. Ruby’s music feels like the perfect west coast summer day in the forest, probably by a lake or river, most likely a little stoned with all your friends.
When Sticky Fingers stepped on stage, the venue erupted. It was the moment they’ve been waiting for 6 years! Every song Sticky Fingers played was a hit, with their deep discography there was something for everyone in the crowd. The crowd went wild for songs like How To Fly, Cool & Calm, Gold Snafu and These Girls, which hadn’t been on the setlist for quite some time.
If you had seen Sticky Fingers before, you’d have noticed there was a significant change of who was on stage. For this tour, Claude Bailey took center mic. A daunting task to take on lead vocals for such a beloved band but the crowd did not care and sang along to every song that Bailey and the rest of the band performed for them.
Whether you just started listening to Sticky Fingers, or been a fan since day one this show was everything we all hoped for and more. It’s especially sweet after waiting 6 long years to finally see Sticky Fingers back on the west coast! Let’s just hope it’s not another 6-year wait to see them back in Vancouver again!
9.87/10
Photos: Michaela De Ciantis-Wong
