[...music...]

2013-03-19

shows of 2011

yes, i'm still alive, even though this blog has been dead for a while.

i'll start the update by listing the shows attended during the remainder of 2011.

sept. 21 - [popmontreal] arcade fire @ metropolis

grimes was the opening act:

arcade fire on stage:

i purchased grimes' "halfaxa":

sept. 22 - [popmontreal] arcade fire @ place des festival

kid koala played his set dressed in a koala costume. cute!

karkwa was the other polaris-prize-winning act on the bill.

arcade fire played a free show; a zillion people attended.

sept. 23 - [popmontreal] the planet smashers @ club soda

a ska/punk night! east end radicals, the fundamentals, and the creepshow were the opening acts.

the planet smashers were a lot of fun, as always.

i purchased their "life of the party":

oct. 6 - explosions in the sky @ metropolis

opening act was wye oak:

explosions in the sky:

setlist here.

~~~

Labels: arcade fire, cd purchase, club soda, east end radicals, explosions in the sky, grimes, karkwa, kid koala, metropolis, popmontreal, shows, the creepshow, the fundamentals, the planet smashers, wye oak

2011-07-06

jazz fest 2011

the montreal jazz festival took place june 25 to july 4 this year. i went to some of the free shows.

first, there was the opening show on june 25, with ben l'oncle soul. wow, they had great energy. the singer was interacting with the crowd throughout the whole set. at one point, he even jumped off the stage, and walked deep into the crowd.

video:
http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/multimedia-en/video.aspx?id=1061

~~~

something new this year are the rencontres festives. i went to see roma carnivale vs. fanfare severni on thursday and monday. i loved the atmosphere, especially when the band was walking and playing at the same time, with the crowd following along; it was like a joyous street party. the 'face-off' portion of the show was kind of comical. of course, both bands ended up playing together.

video:
http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/multimedia-en/video.aspx?id=1125

~~~

finally, there was the closing show, on july 4th, with the b-52s. this band seems so quirky. we were impressed by their energy on stage, as they danced along to all their songs. their lyrics can be so nonsensical and ridiculous at times; i was laughing throughout most of the set. it was like fun party music. the only songs i knew were "love shack" and "rock lobster", which they ended the set with. since this was a closing show, the fireworks started immediately afterwards.

video:
http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/multimedia-en/video.aspx?id=1191

~~~

Labels: ben l'oncle soul, fanfare severni, jazz fest, roma carnivale, shows, the b-52s

2011-05-13

godspeed @ l'olympia

i concluded my post-rock week on sunday may 1st, with the godspeed you! black emperor show at l'olympia.

the opening band of the evening was dreamcatcher, an arty experimental noise duo. i did not care for it.

the current line-up of godspeed consists of 8 members. i only caught 4 in this photo:

lighting was that dim red glow throughout the whole set. this band has absolutely no stage presence, no interaction with the crowd; they're in their little stage bubble. they did have a large projection screen with cryptic video clips to provide some visual interest. i think i spent almost half the set with my eyes closed, absorbing the music.

aurally, wow...! each song was about 75% buildup, 20% music, 5% cool down. as a whole, the set was a lot of atmospheric drone, punctuated by bursts of musical goodness. part of the excitement was waiting for those magical moments.

they played for almost two hours.

setlist:
hope drone
she dreamt she was a bulldozer
gathering storm
albanian
dead metheny
09-15-00 outro
chart #3
world police and friendly fire
moya
bbf3

at the end of the night, i was feeling kind of happy.

~~~

Labels: dreamcatcher, godspeed you black emperor, l'olympia, shows

2011-04-27

mogwai @ l'olympia

on monday, i went to the mogwai show. it was my 5th time seeing this band.

the opening band was usa out of vietnam, replacing errors, who couldn't make it to the montreal show. their set was loud. and heavy. and loud. i wore earplugs for half the set; i didn't want to pre-blast my eardrums before a mogwai set.

when mogwai appeared on stage, i noticed the absence drummer martin bulloch. they explained that he's back home for family reasons, with errors drummer james hamilton filling in for the north american dates.

i found the first couple of songs kind of slow, and maybe too calm. the energy level progressively built up, culminating in an epic ending of noise and distortion; typical for this band. there was minimal use of strobe lights; instead, there was a widescreen projection of video clips to accompany the songs.

they mostly played songs from the new album, their 7th. at this point, with such a large catalogue, i don't even expect them to play "like herod" or "christmas steps" or "my father my king" like they used to. still, they included a couple of old tracks.

setlist:
white noise
friend of the night
how to be a werewolf
rano pano
death rays
i'm jim morrison, i'm dead
san pedro
ithica
mexican grand prix
helicon 1
you're lionel richie
we're no here

encore:
autorock
george square thatcher death party
glasgow mega-snake

what i like about this band is, how awesome they sound live. they've got almost no stage presence, no stage banter (other than guitarist stuart braithwaite saying "thank you" or "merci" after almost every song), just music. and it's enough for me to keep going to their shows.

~~~

purchase: i got a t-shirt with the mogwai young team logo; it's one of my favourite albums, and the logo is pretty cool.

hearing damage: during the show, their music didn't feel too loud; it was occasionally very dense, but not causing discomfort. but after the show, and all of yesterday, my ears were still ringing. even today, i don't feel like my hearing has 100% recovered. damn.

~~~

Labels: l'olympia, mogwai, shows, usa out of vietnam

2011-04-13

devotchka @ le national

oh wow, i just realized that i am really behind on my blogging.

at the end of last month, i went to the devotchka show with rox.

the opening band was b.e.t.a.l.o.v.e.r.s. their music was kind of folk/americana with a hint of jazz, so i initially thought they were american. when the singer started talking, i realized they were a local band.

this was my first time seeing devotchka play a full set. i hadn't listened to the new album yet, so i was glad they decided to play quite a few old song, including my favourites: "how it ends", "the clockwise witness", "the enemy guns". it was a nice evening.

no aerial silk performer this time. but they had a dancer with an umbrella perform during "100 other lovers", as show in this video i found on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKa_GTSq96s
from the angle, i think this was filmed by the girl standing next to us.

they ended up playing a 2.5+ hour show.

we were standing next to the stage, so after the show, rox was able to grab a copy of the setlist.

setlist:
the alley
head honcho
queen of the surface streets
poland (?)
the clockwise witness
the man from san sebastian
how it ends
all the sand in all the sea
we're leaving
vengo! vengo!
basso profundo
exhaustible
contrabanda
i cried like a silly boy
100 other lovers
the enemy guns

encore:
only love can break your heart (neil young cover)
undone
ranchero (?)

~~~

Labels: betalovers, devotchka, le national, shows

2011-03-08

yann tiersen @ metropolis

i had not planned on seeing the yann tiersen show that was part of the high lights festival, but i realized that it was during my midterm break, and i needed something fun to do. the show was on monday, two weeks ago.

the opening act was breathe owl breathe, a quirky indie band. half the set felt like a story-telling period, with the singer acting out the lyrics of the songs. it was alright.

yann tiersen's set was nice. a quiet evening for me.

when tiersen started speaking english in between songs, the crowd reacted by yelling "en français! on est au québec!". of course.

he and his band played all the songs from the most recent "dust lane", including the title track, which is my favourite on that release. i'm glad someone posted a video online:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdaVWSS6YuY
(the audio quality is not too bad.)

when he played "sur le fil" on solo violin, it was the highlight of the show, for me. that song is pretty amazing in a live setting.

setlist (as posted on stage):
count down
dust lane
dark stuff
kala
amy
till the end
the wire
the train
ashes
chapter 19
palestine
fuck me

encore:
best of times (the trial)
le quartier
amélie

it doesn't seem complete, since "sur le fil" doesn't appear. or did they translate it as "the wire" on their setlist? seems strange...

the end of the show was perfect, with a re-worked version of "la valse d'amélie poulain". i left feeling all happy inside.

~~~

Labels: breathe owl breathe, metropolis, shows, yann tiersen

2011-02-15

underoath + thursday @ metropolis

about a month or two ago, i saw the show listing for underoath playing at the metropolis, with thursday as one of the guests, but i did not plan on going to the show for an opening band. then, two weeks ago, i noticed the finer print on the tour poster indicating that thursday were playing "full collapse" in its entirety in celebration of its tenth anniversary. this is one of my favourite albums of all time, so there was no way i'd miss this.

i went to the show last night. it was immediately apparent that this was not my scene. while waiting in line before the show, people around me were young, and talking about all these bands i'd never heard of, but sound like emo/screamo/hardcore stuff, judging by the band names.

first openers were animals as leaders. wow. a math-y instrumental prog band, without the wankery. they played eight-string guitars, showing off technique. at one point, guitarist tosin abasi played on the neck of the instrument, and it sounded like keyboards; cool effect. as a new listener, it was slightly hard to follow, with all the mid-song switching and unusual time signatures. to me, they sounded like a heavier version of all the post-rock stuff i listen to, so i really enjoyed this set.

next band was a skylit drive. ugh, a skinny-white-boy band, with more style than substance. they were like a boy band (there was the blonde, the dirty blonde, the redhead, the light brunette, the dark brunette, and the dyed black-haired crazy one), with their carefully slashed jeans, the perfectly rehearsed posturing and synchronized jumping. i wondered who their target audience was. oh right, the 14-year-old girls standing behind me who sang along to all the songs. i definitely felt too old for that.

then, it was thursday. their show about a year ago at the foufs was pretty good, so i was really excited to hear "full collapse" played live. it turned out slightly disappointing; i must have been standing at a bad spot for sound, because the vocals were completely drowned out. the energy level was high, and the band really gave their all on stage, but i did not hear any of the vocals. the guy standing next to me made fun of the fact that we saw rickly's lips move, but with no sound. damn.

at least, i heard when he introduced "standing on the edge of summer" as "easy listening". well, i guess it qualifies; it is the "ballad" of the album.

after playing "full collapse", they played a new song, "turnpike divides", from the upcoming album. hard to judge if it sounded good. even though i'm not a super big thursday fan, i always find a couple of songs to like on each album, so i'll probably end up getting the new one.

i stuck around to hear what underoath is about. their sound was meh, and their lights were blinding me. i left after the second song.

~~~

Labels: a skylit drive, animals as leaders, metropolis, shows, thursday, underoath

2011-02-01

robyn @ metropolis

last thursday, i went to the robyn show with my cousins. turns out she has a good following here: the show was sold out, and i heard the scalpers were trying to sell tickets for $60 (originally $27).

the first act was natalia kills. i had seen shows with circus acts before (dresden dolls, emilie autumn, devotchka), but i think this was my first time seeing backup dancers:

this was perhaps the shortest set i've seen. she performed four songs, where the fourth was actually a dance version of the first. sure her songs are catchy at first listen, but not my kind of thing.

next act was diamond rings. i had seen him open for owen pallett last year, and was pleasantly surprised. this time, i was looking forward to his set. his outfit this time: fuchsia jacket, pink tank top, gold chains, and gold leggings. so glam.

almost all the songs he played were from his album "special affections", so i recognized them. he punctuated his set with fist pumps and skinny-white-boy dance moves. so kitsch.

finally, robyn appeared on stage, with a band consisting of two keyboard players and a drummer. her outfit: black bomber jacket, stringy white vest, black top, floral print leggings, platform ankle boots.

wow, she was so full of energy, dancing a lot, all over the stage.

she performed all her hits from the self-titled and "body talk" albums. the crowd was really into it. she kept it electro-pop, closely like the album version, so it was like one big dance party. i had a lot of fun: dancing and singing along, generally acting silly. eh, who cares.

for her first encore, she did a mellow version of "u should know better", without the snoop dogg parts, followed by more badassery with "konichiwa bitches".

she ended the set with a "dancing queen" medley that transitioned into her classic 1997 hit "show me love", re-worked for 2011, of course.

setlist posted here.

even though this was my first show of 2011, i think it will be one of my favourite for the year.

~~~

Labels: diamond rings, metropolis, natalia kills, robyn, shows

2010-12-26

broken social scene @ metropolis

for my birthday, roxanne gave me a ticket to see broken social scene at metropolis. the show was last saturday the 18th. we got good spots, front and centre, yay!

roxanne has already blogged all about it. i don't have much else to add.

openers were here we go magic:

broken social scene:

my favourite part was when they played "kc accidental". it's too bad they played it so early into their set; i wasn't even warmed up yet.

i've realized that this is a band i love so much more in a live setting. their albums are kind of meh. in concert, they have so much more energy. singer kevin drew has a cult leader-ish charm to him. during "ibi", he mentioned that a rage against the machine tribute band was in town, and that "we can do better than them", so he had us all shout the lyrics "fuck you, i won't do what you tell me" in increasing intensity.

i found this video of "anthems", with guest amy millan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz3HqbRzXd4

~~~

Labels: broken social scene, here we go magic, metropolis, shows

2010-10-20

massive attack + thievery corporation @ bell centre

the show was on monday evening. i went with some friends: roxanne, fil, christophe. the stage was placed at mid-arena, and we had seats in section 116; good view.

first act of this double bill was thievery corporation. i had heard of this band's name, but the only music i'd heard from them was a clip of "thievery blonde", a track i think they played that night.

their music is a mix of electro with world music. it was nice, very lounge.

my favourite track was near the end, before the encore, when the stage was completely bathed in red light. after some searching, i found a youtube user who uploaded some great videos of the show. turns out the song was "sound the alarm".

video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kDcU_p8ujQ

i was there for the main headliners, massive attack. "mezzanine" is my favourite album of theirs, and i told myself before the show that i'd happy if anything from that album gets played.

the stage atmosphere was eerie throughout their set: the stage was dark most of the time, lots of smoke, the occasional spooky light effects, and a led screen in the background with lots of writing. i thought the visual effects were well done to keep the audience entertained.

except for the writing on the led screen. at first, it was random phrases (in french!), which was alright. but during "girl i love you", the content became socio-economic, using numbers to contrast between the living conditions of an industrialized country and that of a developing nation, etc. i appreciate a band with strong politics and a message to say; but at that moment, i felt a bit too uneasy to rock out during a song while i am reminded that there are people in the world with little access to drinkable water and their annual salary is minimal.

my favourite part of the show started with white lights illuminating streams of smoke; very ghostly. when the song started, i didn't recognize it until martina topley-bird started singing: it was "teardrop"! squee momment for me. this song was followed by "angel". another squee moment. finally, this was followed by "inertia creeps". this trio of songs, performed live, was the highlight of the show, for me. (during "inertia creeps", the led screen displayed news headlines, in french. a bit sensational, like the stuff you'd see on journal the montreal...)

the same youtube user has some great videos of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqpkTKtlzy8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0_Ccz1RVIs

people have been putting together the setlist on setlist.fm. but as of this moment, i feel that it is not the most accurate; i am pretty sure there were some other songs between "mezzanine" and "teardrop". i'll wait a few days to see if it gets updated.

the encore was pretty epic. the last couple of songs had some long instrumental jams. robert del naja danced like in a trance.

it was quite a show.

~~~

Labels: bell centre, massive attack, shows, thievery corporation

2010-10-10

gorillaz @ bell centre

on sunday, one week ago, i went to the gorillaz show at the bell centre, with roxanne, fil, lucia. we got some pretty good seats, in the middle, a bit higher than stage level. we had a good view of the whole stage, although a bit far.

the openers were we are wolves, from montreal. they first appeared with ridiculous props on their backs. they started with a few garage-rock-ish songs. meh. then they went more electro-dance-rock, and i liked that more. the only track i recognized was "fight and kiss", from their previous album, i think.

with gorillaz, it was a full orchestra and band on stage, with various guest vocalists. unfortunately, i didn't know any of them... on the other hand, i was pretty excited to see paul simonon and mick jones touring as part of the gorillaz band, as i am a big fan of the clash, and am too young to have seen their live shows in their prime. i only wish i was close enough to the stage to have seen them play, and not just shadows of musicians moving around on stage...

for most of the show, my eyes were on the animations on the big screen, since there wasn't much happening on the stage; the "cartoons" were much more interesting. i didn't know the songs enough to sing along, but i did dance throughout most of the show.

roxanne has a blog post of the event, including the setlist:
orchestral intro
welcome to the world of the plastic beach
19-2000
last living souls
oh green world
stylo
melancholy hill
rhinestone eyes
superfast jellyfish
tomorrow comes today
kids with guns
empire ants
dirty harry
el manana
white flag
to binge
dare
glitter freeze
plastic beach

encore:
cloud of unknowing
feel good inc.
clint eastwood
don't get lost in heaven
demon days

this was my most expensive show, with the ticket costing 3-4 times my average show budget. but it was fun to attend with friends. i can't deny that it's a completely difference experience from the tiny club shows. i still have one more arena show coming up (in a week). after that, i should probably stick to $15 shows for a while...

~~~

Labels: bell centre, gorillaz, shows, we are wolves

2010-10-06

atari teenage riot @ foufounes électriques

atari teenage riot is a band i've been listening to for a long while. i think it was since high school, about ten years ago. their album "60 second wipe out" was the first cd i bought that was over $20. i had gotten it at a music shop at galeries des sources. it was so long ago that there was a music shop in that ghetto suburb mall, and it even had a cassette section.

every time i listen to that album, i try to imagine this band in a live show. but i never thought i would ever see this band in concert, especially since they disbanded in 2000. and i'm not sure they play canada.

the band reunited this year. when i found out that they were playing popmontreal, i was super excited. especially since they were playing foufounes électriques, which is exactly the kind of venue i imagine them at. so yeah, saturday's show was a dream come true to me.

the first act was a laptop duo, montreal nintendo orkestar. they played around with various electronic gadgets (including a couple of ninento ds', haha). it turned out to be a 30-minute set of drone music. i guess they're supposed to be avant-garde or something, but it wasn't too interesting for me.

the second opener was autoerotique, another laptop act. i found the beginning a bit awkward: the music was some generic stuff that sounded like background filler, so people didn't realize the second act had started as they continued to chit-chat loudly. when he started to play some harder electro, a couple of girls started dancing. soon, a bunch of people joined them, and it became an industrial dance floor. the music mostly consisted of heavy beats, which got people dancing. but with the one-hour set, it felt long and slightly repetitive. i still enjoyed it as a warm-up to atr.

finally, atr took the stage. their new incarnation is a trio: alec empire, nic endo, cx kidtronik.

oh wow. their energy is amazing. their show was everything i imagined it to be, and even better, with seizure-inducing strobe lights and the sketchy industrial setting. of course they were loud; but surprisingly, not to the point of it being uncomfortable.

from setlist.fm:
waves of disaster (instrumental)
activate
into the death
no remorse (i wanna die)
destroy 2000 years of culture
sick to death
deutschland (has gotta die!)
atari teenage riot
fuck all
no success
midijunkies
get up while you can
too dead for me
u.s. fade out
(instrumental noise jam)
speed

encore:
not your business
ghost chase
revolution action
start the riot
(instrumental noise jam)

first highlight for me was when they played "too dead for me", one of my favourite tracks. a good day for airplay posted a video of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RsVM-3RpI8

the best part of the show for me was during the encore, when they played "revolution action" (it's how i heard of this band in the first place, when i saw the video for this track played on muchmusic's "the wedge", x years ago). from the angle of this clip, i think this person was standing about two feet behind me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XJ7LJkiW1A&t=4m52s

~~~

Labels: atari teenage riot, autoerotique, foufounes électriques, montreal nintendo orkestar, popmontreal, shows

2010-06-25

ted leo & the pharmacists @ il motore

on tuesday this week, i went to the ted leo show at il motore, as part of the suoni per il popolo festival. it was my second time in that venue, my fourth time seeing that band.

the opening band was screaming females, from new brunswick, new jersey. wow, that vocalist can really yell! they were alright. i feel like standard indie rock stuff doesn't impress me so much anymore.

the space in front of the stage quickly filled up for ted leo's set. i never realized how scarily skinny the dude is. the band had good energy. stage banter was so-so; i know he's done better. at least, he got to practice his french. i must say, the sound was not great; the guitars were so loud that they drowned out the vocals throughout the set. it was disappointing in that aspect.

but i was quite happy about the mix of old and new songs. when i realized how many old hits they were playing, i was hoping they would play "timorous me" from one of their really early albums. but they didn't during their regular set. still, i had a good time, especially during the older favourites, such as "where have all the rudeboys gone?", "me and mia", and "counting down the hours".

so my memory is quite poor. here are the tracks i remember:

from "the tyranny of distance" (2001):
- dial up

from "the hearts of oak" (2003):
- where have all the rudeboys gone?

from "shake the sheets" (2004):
- me and mia
- counting down the hours

from "living with the living" (2007):
- ???

from "the brutalist bricks" (2010):
- the mighty sparrow
- even heroes have to die
- bottled in cork
- one polaroid a day
- where was my brain?

for the encore, ted leo returned to the stage solo, wearing a t-shirt with "happy 400th, quebec". haha, cool. he played a new song, then a cover. finally, he played "timorous me" and the band joined in. best way to finish! exactly as i had hoped for.

~~~

Labels: il motore, shows, ted leo

2010-05-02

gogol bordello + devotchka @ metropolis

ayoye, i've fallen behind on my blogging. this entry will be brief.

on april 18, i went to the gogol bordello show with roxanne and fil. devotchka was one of the openers. this was the line-up we'd been dreaming of. we got our tickets on the day they went on sale, more than two months before the show.

we got a spot in the front, right at the barrier. the first opener was jesse malin & the st. marks social. it was typical rock, with hints of folk/punk, i guess. they had a couple of catchy songs.

the next openers were devotchka. i'd been wanting to see them play ever since roxanne introduced their music to me, via a mix cd, some years ago. their live show was really good. the singer had an old-fashion microphone. for one of their songs, they had an aerial silk performer. so cool!

they played my favourite song "how it ends" so i was happy. i tried to steathily capture a video before the security dude stepped into my camera's field of view, ruining the shot as he gave me the bad eye...

devotchka setlist:
basso profundo
venus in furs
the clockwise witness
head honcho
i cried like a silly boy
vengo (manya)
we're leaving
how it ends
poland
international
the enemy guns

finally, gogol bordello were on stage. i managed to snap a few pictures before it got too crazy.

and oh my, it was pretty crazy. it was so packed. the whole time, there was someone on my back; in any other context, it would have been some form of sexual harrassment. for most of the time, i was thinking "i'm getting too old for this...". i spent more energy trying to push people off my back than trying to enjoy the music.

i only recognized the few songs from "underdog world strike", such as "not a crime" and "start wearing purple". i guess most of the set were songs from the new album.

there are some videos on youtube.

~~~

cd purchases: i got the devotchka albums that i was missing, "supermelodrama" and "una volta".

hearing damage: yeah, my ears were ringing. my arms and knees were also bruised from being constantly pushed against the metal barrier. ugh; i'm too old for this shit.

~~~

Labels: cd purchase, devotchka, gogol bordello, jesse malin, metropolis, shows

2010-03-06

north of america @ il motore

[oops, been a little behind on my blogging...]

last week, blue skies turn black celebrated their 10-year anniversary with three nights at il motore. the gazette did a story on them.

i went to the third show, on saturday (february 27), with ryan. it was my first time at il motore. i liked the place; small and warm, it has a similar feel to the sala rossa.

there were four bands on the lineup, three of which were playing a reunion show that night. we got there early, as the doors were opening. during the wait time, they spinned mostly punk rock, stuff i used to listen to back in cegep (i recognized some propagandhi and fugazi). ah, memories.

unsurprisingly, the show started a half-hour later than listed. the first band to play were thundrah. it was a mix of indie/experimental/jazzy/electro rock. i liked it. i'd never seen anyone use a telephone like that before.

the second band to play was spengler. it was good, but more of the standard guitar-bass-drums kind of sound. after a while, i found it a bit boring...

the only reason i was there was to see north of america's reunion show. i first heard about them when they opened for ted leo back in 2005, where i had bought their last album, and ended up loving it. i hadn't listened to that album in a long time, until giving it a spin a few days before the show. ah, good memories.

i never use flash at shows because the flash on point-and-shoot cameras give a weird glow. but i happened to take this shot just as some guy's high-end flash went off, and the picture turned out good:

as expected, north of america gave an energetic performance. from the response, the crowd obviously loved them. stage banter was good; they made a joke about "the next one's from the new album!" and about being older. also, i found this youtube video where they mentioned that someone flew in from los angeles and from japan to see this show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDTlzqxtIF0

i only recognized a few songs, the ones from the last album. i was right in front of the stage, close enough to see the intended setlist:
wet to dance
cities and plans
let's get sick to our stomachs
now you've got your doctorate
fuck (repeating)
keep it on the download
font crimes
revolt on revolution
the fix is in
route of sorts
central port of...
speech is an...
rough draft korea
killed in the ratings

but after "the fix is in", they realized they only had 15 minutes left, so they cut out a couple of songs. out of those five last songs, they only played three, but i didn't recognize any of them, as they were all from the first album. still they ended up playing an hour-long set.

i would have liked for them to play a bit longer, but there was one last band on the lineup: rockets red glare. unfortunately, this show coincided with the nuit blanche events, so i had to miss the last band to meet up with friends downtown.

before leaving, i checked out the merch table. north of america had some cassette tapes on sale. i guess there's still a demand for tapes in the diy scene?

~~~

hearing damage: thundrah and spengler were loud. i had cheap foam earplugs that were not sufficient to block out the low bass vibrations. surprisingly, north of america's set was not as loud as i expected, so i was able to enjoy their set without earplugs.

~~~

Labels: il motore, north of america, shows

2010-03-01

vitalic @ sat

last thursday (february 25), i met with rox to see vitalic, live at sat. this was my first electro show, and i wondered if the audience would be more raver or more hipster; it turned out to be the latter.

we got there early, but it did not matter since they did not open the doors until 10:00pm. i'd only been there once before, and i kind of liked the place: open, spacious, minimal modern design. we sat through the first set (dj mini) even though the music was good; it was relatively early in the show and we wanted to keep our energy. by the second set (jordan dare), i was bored, so we started dancing.

finally, vitalic was on at 1:00am, which i found late, compared to the usual indie rock shows i attend. to be honest, i am not familiar enough with his material to recognize the songs; the tracks were mixed and it all sounded more or less the same to me. still, i had a pretty good time dancing, sweating, and getting my workout for the week. i was disappointed at the poor ventilation in the venue; it was super crowded and stuffy.

the highlight for me was near the end of the set, when he played my favourite track "second lives" and "my friend dario", back-to-back.

vitalic ended at 2:15am. mini and dare returned for an additional set, supposedly until 3:00am. but we were feeling pretty tired at that point, so we left. since the metros were not running anymore, we went searching for a 24-hour café; we found the presse-café on saint-denis, corner of ontario. we chilled there for a while, until cabbing it home at around 4:00am. so sleepy...

there are some videos of the show posted on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=vitalic+sat+montreal

yeah, it was loud. but my ears didn't ring afterwards.

i also found this amazing photoset on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/karelchladek/sets/72157623517054480/

as my first electro show, i'd say it was a good experience. it was fun!

~~~

Labels: sat, shows, vitalic

2010-02-22

owen pallett @ théâtre outremont

i realized that the last time i saw owen pallett play as final fantasy, it was four years ago.

on saturday night, he played a sold out show at théâtre outremont, as part of the montreal high lights festival. i went with cynthia and manna.

i got to the venue early; second in line. started chatting with the first guy in line, who came from boston for the night, for the show. that's some dedicated fan. and he's only been into owen pallett's stuff since last fall.

it turned out to be a seated show, which was nice and comfortable for this kind of music. of course, we got very good seats, front and centre. during the wait, i chatted some more with the guy from boston, who gave me a list of bands to check out.

the opening act was diamond rings. i had never heard of this guy before, so what a surprise when he appeared on stage: half-shaven head, dramatic eye makeup, face glitter, denim jacket with back patch, chunky silver belt, leopard print leggings, purple socks, purple hi-tops. this guy is a cliché of the late-70's/early 80's punk/new wave style; i doubt he was even born at the time. he punched the air for dramatic effect, and busted out some awkward 80's dance moves.

the music was pretty good, consisting of either synth or guitar, with a catchy beat. his act is so kitsch that it's full of awesome.

owen pallet's act was introduced with a clip of an alicia keys song. haha, it set the tone for the night, i guess.

he was accompanied by guitarist/percussionist thomas gill:

as always, i was impressed by the way he plays the violin: playing into a loop pedal, building a song layer by layer, plucking and tapping the strings, tapping the body for a percussions effect, even yelling into his violin for those faraway-sounding vocals.

i love that he mixed his set with old and new songs. he played most of my favourites, such as "this lamb sells condos":

as well as "e is for estranged", which ended abruptly when he pressed the wrong button and everything stopped. "oops," he said, and shrugged it off.

during the encore, when he started with the first few beats of the second song, i internally skrieked like a little girl. mariah carey's "fantasy" is a guilty pleasure, a song i loved so much when i was a little girl that i learned the lyrics and everything. and he does a really good cover of that.

he ended the show with a second encore, playing "he poos clouds", a song that makes me think of chase scenes in video games set in medieval times.

setlist:
love song to an empty room
midnight directives
this lamb sells condos
flare gun
the butcher
many lives -> 49 mp
took you two years to win my heart
e is for estranged
this is the dream of win & regine
keep the dog quiet
mt. alpentine
the great elsewhere
honour the dead or else
lewis takes action
lewis takes off his shirt

encore:
the man with no ankles
fantasy (mariah carey cover)

encore 2:
he poos clouds

~~~

Labels: diamond rings, owen pallett, shows, théâtre outremont

2009-12-13

thursday @ foufounes électriques

last sunday (dec. 6), thursday played at the foufounes électriques. i had hesitated to attend, since i'd be going by myself. also, i wasn't sure how rough the crowd would be, given the band's hardcore roots, and the fact that the dillinger escape plan were opening.

i went back to listening to "full collapse", and remembered how much i love this album. i can't believe it was released 8 years ago... so i ended up going to the show. i had never been to that venue before. it's small and cozy, with a cool decor, in that industrial kind of way. i really liked it.

the first band to play was endless hallway. this was the skinniest band i'd ever seen. the music was not memorable. they seemed to be trying too hard.

the second band was fake problems. i'm not sure how they fit with the rest of the lineup, since their sound was more rock & roll/garage. these guys had a good sense of humour, and they seemed to be genuinely enjoying their time on stage. it was a fun set that got people dancing.

i checked out their myspace page after the show, and recognized two songs that they played: "the dream team" and "diamond rings".

the next band to play was the dillinger escape plan. i don't know why these guys are opening, since most of the people seemed to be there for them. i had not heard their music before, but had some idea that they were associated with the hardcore genre. good thing i picked a standing spot on the side of the stage. as soon as they started playing, there was a sudden influx of dudes to the center of the floor and the moshing started. i think this was my first time seeing a "real" mosh pit, the kind that looks like a group fight, including some stage diving by the audience and band members.

this was not the kind of music i usually listen to, but i was pretty intrigued; they have some interesting sounds. and i was really impressed at how intense their set was.

by the time thursday played, a lot of people had left. ah well, more standing space then. the crowd was pretty tame for this set, but the band still gave a good performance.

i hadn't followed them for years, so i only recognized a couple of songs from "full collapse", and a few from the newest "common existence". still, i was glad i went to the show; it was fun. my favourite part was when they played "paris in flames" followed by "understanding in a car crash".

setlist (via setlist.fm):
for the workforce, drowning
between rupture and rapture
the other side of the crash
paris in flames
understanding in a car crash
ressucitation of a dead man
friends in the armed forces
at this velocity
division st.
circuits of fever
beyondthe visible spectrum
signals over the air

encore:
jet black new year

i found two videos on youtube, of the first and last songs of the set. pretty good view too.

~~~

hearing damage: the dillinger escape plan set was loud. thursday's was alright, except for a moment during "circuits of fever" when it got so loud i found it unpleasant. the next day, i woke up with some residual ringing in my ears. i know, i am getting old.

~~~

Labels: endless hallway, fake problems, foufounes électriques, shows, the dillinger escape plan, thursday

2009-11-23

brand new @ l'olympia

on friday, it was the brand new show at l'olympia. i went with sherlock. it was my first time at that venue. it was nice.

the first opening band was crime in stereo. their set was short (20 minutes), and not very memorable. i only remember thinking 'generic alterna/pop-punk'.

the next band was glassjaw. i first heard about them when they released their first album; i was in high school.

i must say, singer daryl palumbo was very energetic, moving around the stage a lot, with a manic look on his face. in between songs, he kept making birthday wishes for bassist manuel carrero, but there must be some kind of inside joke going on, since he called out different ages each time.

i would have enjoyed this set a lot more if i knew any of the songs. since i was unfamiliar with their material, i had a hard time following, with all the tempo changes and all.

finally, brand new came on, with a large screen on the background, showing some avant-guarde silent film throughout the whole set. their album "deja entendu" is a guilty pleasure of mine. but i never took the time to really listen to their stuff, so i didn't know the songs enough to sing along and enjoy the show to the max.

they played my favourite "sic transit gloria..."; they got that one out of the way near the beginning. near the end, they played another old song i like (but had forgotten about) "jude law".

setlist (via setlist.fm):
welcome to bangkok
sink
degausser
you won't know
okay i believe you, but my tommy gun don't
sic transit gloria... glory fades
the quiet things that no one ever knows
limousine
vices
gasoline
sowing season (yeah)
you stole
in a jar
luca
the archer's bows are broken
jesus christ
bought a bride
at the bottom
jude law and a semester abroad
seventy times seven
play crack the sky

i had brought my camera, but didn't take it out since i didn't have a good view of the stage. also, the crowd was kind of rowdy; this was my first time seeing some moshing since that gogol bordello show from two years ago. i was standing at the edge of the pit, so it was alright.

i found a pretty good set of pictures from the show on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliverchank/sets/72157622847795046/

and there are some videos on youtube.

~~~

cd purchase: i was debating whether to get their latest "daisy"; i thought i'd get it if the show impressed me enough. but i thought it was just alright; nothing bad about it, but not the best i've been to either. so no purchases for me.

hearing damage: from the moment brand new started, i had found it was too loud. by the end of the show, my ears were ringing. i told my cousin that if i cannot sleep off the ringing in one night, then it means that i am too old for show. well, i woke up the next day with some residual ringing in my ears. crap.

~~~

Labels: brand new, crime in stereo, glassjaw, l'olympia, shows

2009-10-12

emilie autumn @ le studio

on saturday, i went to the emilie autumn show, on a whim. when i passed by the venue in the afternoon to get my ticket, i noticed some people already in the line-up. by the time i arrived twenty minutes before the doors time, the line-up had already gone around the block. oh my, i didn't realize she had such a following. i had gone to the show alone. while waiting in the line-up, i met a brother-sister duo who were nice enough to let me hang out with them during the show.

emilie performed with the bloody crumpets, a group composed of: aprella, the blonde doll; captain maggots, the crazy pirate; contessa, the cannibal; veronica, the raven-haired seductress.

the show started 45 minutes late, and lasted for about two hours. it felt more like watching a play or a musical rather than a concert. there was a set on stage: a clock-like screen in the middle, an elaborate tea set and candles on the right, more candles on the left, trinkets hanging from above.

each woman played a character, and many songs were introduced by a little skit. of those that i remember (and captured on video by various people in attendance; none of these vids are mine):

contessa introduced each of the bloody crumpets, with their reason for being in the asylum. veronica told us about the canadian welcome they got at the border: drug-sniffing dogs, which they did not appreciate. as an intro to "shalott", emilie autumn asked the audience for a voice warm-up, and chanted "fuck youtube". at a certain point, things got a little crazy, where muffins and cookies, with "tea" was thrown at the audience. before "unlaced", emilie autumn was upset at veronica for not practicing the harpsichord. after playing "unlaced" with supposedly only two mistakes, veronica was allowed to play "the rat game", where she chose a girl from the audience to go on stage and give her a kiss (a girl with angel wings got picked). veronica also explained that it is okay for a lady to swear if she adds "indeed" at the end of the sentence. as an intro to "god help me", contessa invited the audience for a prayer. captain maggots performed the spongebob squarepants song before "misery loves company".

each of the bloody crumpets also demonstrated her special skill during the talent portions of the show: veronica did a feather dance during "dominant". during "unlaced", maggots performed on stilts while aprella did some pointework. on another song, maggots also did some neat tricks with a hoola hoop. during "306", contessa did some aerial acrobatics with rope/fabric hanging from the ceiling.

songs that i remember:
4 o'clock
opheliac
liar
the art of suicide
i want my innocence back
shalott
dominant
unlaced
god help me
misery loves company
i know where you sleep
306
face the wall
bohemian rhapsody
thank god i'm pretty

there are more videos on youtube.

i am usually into shows that are more "authentic". but every once in a while, it's fun to go to a show for entertainment purposes. this was definitely such a show, with a set on stage, the many skits, the various performances, the characters, the costumes (colourful hair, feathers, hats, and other hair accessories, doll makeup, corsets, stockings, lots and lots of sequins and glitter, etc). even if, at times, it felt a little gimmicky, on the verge of being almost cheezy, it was still a fun show, different from the typical indie shows i've attended with blasé hipsters.

at least, there was one song where emilie showed her musical talent, the instrumental track "face the wall". she even said: "the truth is, this is what i really do", just to remind us that she is a musician, after all. i really liked that piece, and the way she played her instrument, with a crazy intense look in her eyes. it made me realize that as much fun as all the extra performance stuff is, it would have been really nice to see a solo music show as well.

~~~

Labels: emilie autumn, le studio, shows