Sometime last fall, as I crunched through a myriad of freshly fallen leaves, I heard a high pitched squeal in the distance. As I turned my head, about a half dozen vintage Vespa scooters, flew past me. In the blur, I vaguely processed brilliant chrome, a magnificent union jack skull cap and, as the new age Mods faded in the distance, a green military jacket with a sizeable “Who” patch on the back. As I continued my stroll, I immediately thought of The Who’s 1973 classic record Quadrophenia.
I like to think of myself as a veteran concertgoer in Vancouver. I've been to most of the major venues around town; the Commodore, Orpheum, Vogue, even Venue when that was a go-to place for mid-level acts. Hell, I've spent significant time in most of the dive-ier venues in this city, many of which don't even exist anymore.
However, despite my self-importance (or maybe because of it), I had never been to The Imperial.
This year’s International Women’s Day at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre saw the performance of Luminescence: Chanteuse to the Power of Three, featuring the Canadian singer-songwriters Sarah Jickling, Kristina Shelden and headliner Christa Couture.
Burger Records’ travelling music festival hit Vancouver’s Rickshaw Theatre on February 22nd and 23rd. The lineup featured eight all-girl or female-fronted bands in a high energy celebration of female badassness. With the majority of major festivals featuring predominantly male acts, this gathering of girl punk rockers was more than welcome, even if it was on a smaller scale. Night one of Burger-A-Go-Go featured The Flytraps, Feels, Death Valley Girls, and finally The Coathangers.
It took me a while to find the venue, but I immediately knew I was at the right place after seeing bright, red lights coming through a doorway – which is completely fitting for Red Gate. It’s a large space that has graffiti and stickers all over the walls, and comfy couches which make it a nice space for people to mingle and relax in between acts. The red lights, alongside the alternative backdrop, set the stage for a very laid-back, chill night.
Fans of American indie rock band, Hippo Campus, gathered at Imperial Vancouver on January 18, eagerly anticipating to hear some music.
The bands performing for the night were Club Sofa, On Planets, Schwey, Dead Soft, and of course, Peach Pit.
The first act I saw was Tomato Tomato. This husband and wife duo can really hold a show. With Lisa on the washboard and John Mclaggan with his guitar, it’s hard to decide which one I liked better. When this two-piece band got together, their sound filled the main stage just as well as any other. They effortlessly kept in harmony. Appreciated by attentive sitters and active dancers, Tomato Tomato navigated their set well and maintained a positive, reactive crowd.
As irrelevant as it may seem, the first thing that struck me when Teenage Fanclub took the stage was their age. They looked like a band made up of your friends' dads. Not that it matters, but certainly most of the working bands, especially those frequenting smaller venues like The Rickshaw are made up of young people.
