Cradle of Filth x Butcher Babies // Rickshaw Theatre

February 24, 2016 - Well the night didn't start out too great as I arrived when the doors opened to a massive lineup and couldn't end up getting inside for an hour and only caught the tail end of Ne Obliviscaris., which is unfortunate really - they're a bunch of talented prog-death metal guys from Melbourne, Australia.  

Anyhoo, Butcher Babies were second up for the night and were a lot of fun.  The band comes from Los Angeles, California and stars frontwomen Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey, guitarist Henry Flury, bassist Jason Klein and drummer Chris Warner.  Known in their earlier days for their infamous "nipple-tape", an homage to the late Wendy O. Williams (Plasmatics) and have since evolved their look as they become larger in the metal scene.  

The show itself was furious and full of energy - between the headbangers and the oggling men at the front stage (unfortunately in abundance at front-women in the metal scene), the crowd was loving it.  Shepherd and Harvey were jumping all over the stage, despite their leather-clad outfits, hair whipping back and forth.  Their set ended with Shepherd joining in the mosh for their performance of Axe Wound.

And finally the headliners, Cradle of Filth, took the stage.  The band has existed for an amazing 25 years as of 2016.  The band, hailing from Suffolk, England, originally started as a black metal band but has evolved to include various other styles of extreme metal subgenres to create their own unique sound.  Dani Filth, the vocalist, is the sole founding member with the rest of the band having joined in the last 5 years or less.

Shock value is often associated with the band, as guitarists Marek Smerda and Richard Shaw, keys/vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft and of course, frontman Dani Filth all came out in their own face paint and head-dresses to much applause from the crowd.  All-in-all, an awesome performance.

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Setlists

Butcher Babies

1. National Bloody Anthem 
2. Blonde Girls All Look the Same
3. The Butcher
4. Gravemaker
5. Igniter
6. Jesus Needs More Babies For His War Machine
7. Monster's Ball
8. Magnolia Blvd.
9. The Deathsurround / Goliath / I Smell a Massacre
10. Axe Wound

Cradle of Filth

1. Humana Inspired to Nightmare (Intro)
2. Heaven Torn Asunder
3. Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
4. Blackest Magick in Practice
5. Lord Abortion
6. Right Wing of the Garden Triptych
7. Malice Through the Looking Glass
8. Deflowering the Maidenhead, Displeasuring the Goddess
9. Honey & Sulphur
10. Gilded Cunt

Encore

1. Walpurgis Eve (Intro)
2. Yours Immortally...
3. Nymphetamine (Fix)
4. For Your Vulgar Delectation
5. Her Ghost in the Fog
6. From the Cradle to Enslave
7. The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
8. Born in a Burial Gown
9. Blooding the Hounds of Hell (Outro)

The Sheepdogs // Commodore Ballroom

February 18, 2016 - I won't go deep into a review for this one as the lovely Vanessa Tam of Vancity Buzz had written one!  The link is here.
 

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Setlist

1. Where I Can Roam
2. I'm Gonna Be Myself
3. I Really Wanna Be Your Man
4. Who?
5. Bad Lieutenant
6. Southern Dreaming
7. Same Old Feeling
8. Right On
9. The One You Belong To
10. Please Don't Lead Me On
11. Downtown
12. The Way It Is
13. Jim Gordon
14. Plastic Man
15. Back Down
16. Take a Trip
17. Help Us All
18. Feeling Good
19. How Late, How Long
20. I Don't Know
21. Whipping Post [The Allman Brothers cover] (Encore)
22. Learn & Burn (Encore)

Arkells // Commodore Ballroom

February 1, 2015 - So sometimes I listen to music that's not mosh-worthy, but I figured I'd try my hand at the Arkells when I heard they were coming to Vancouver - and I had no regrets for what was to come.

First up came Modern Space, a five-piece out of Newmarket, Ontario back in 2011 and have been recently featured for a spotlight program for Spotify in 2016.  They've also shared the stage alongside artists such as LIGHTS and The Vaccines.  While playing songs off their latest EP release, Before Sunrise, the quintet exhibited a stellar vibe - one that appreciated sharing the stage with their idols and influences.  The band highlighted how excited they were to have been granted the opportunity to tour alongside the Arkells - and to have the cameras pointed their way :).

Dreamers, a trio from Brooklyn, describes themselves as "70s punk meets power-pop."  Sharing the stage with acts such as Stone Temple Pilots and The 1975, they've gained attention from the likes of publications such as Billboard and SPIN magazine to much praise.  Their act was much more mellow than that of Modern Space's but had the audience in such a trance - almost hypnotic in nature.  

And finally, the headliners Arkells from Hamilton, Ontario.  Having had critical acclaim nationally with showcases at the MMVAs to winning some JUNO awards, they've toured extensively in North America and Europe along the likes of Metric, Billy Talent and Sam Roberts.  Max Kerman, the vocalist, exhibited such stage presence that had the crowd chanting out lyrics and clapping along to their jams.  

The second I got home, and over the last few days the post-show photos blew up all my news feed - words of joy, excitement and delight were accompanied with them, the most I've seen for a show in a while.  I haven't felt that kind of satisfaction for a show in a while - perhaps it was the change of pace but I'm more than positive it was the impact that they've left upon me.

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Setlist

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get the setlists for Modern Space and Dreamers.

Arkells

1. Cynical Bastards
2. Come to Light
3. Michigan Left
4. 11:11
5. Abigail
6. Oh, the Boss Is Coming!
7. Pullin' Punches
8. Crawling Through the Window
9. Ballad of Hugo Chavez
10. Book Club
11. I'm Not the Sun
12. Kiss Cam
13. Systematic
14. Never Thought That This Would Hapen
15. On Paper
16. Dirty Blonde
17. Whistleblower

Encore

1. Coffee (Acoustic)
2. Where U Goin
3. I Love You (Said the Whale cover)
4. I Got My Mind Set On You (George Harrison cover)
5. John Lennon
6. Leather Jacket

Dayglo Abortions // Rickshaw Theatre

January 23, 2016 - After the dry spell of concerts over December and January, it was nice to be back out and shooting; what better way to start off than with some metal and punk rock?

First up are thrash metal act Aggression, hailing from Vancouver/Montreal in 1985.  They've opened for major acts including Metallica, Slayer, Exodus but eventually disbanded in '89 due to some members' drug problems but eventually came back to do a few reunion shows and here we are today! All in all, what you'd expect from thrash - rowdy, aggressive and a lot of fun!

Following up are local act, The Golers, which arose in 1998 after the dis-banding of Subversion, where all former members started their self-described "hardcore, crossover thrash with a punk edge."  A bit more raw in their sound, they've toured with acts such as Kreator, Napalm Death and Suicidal Tendencies.

It's been weird knowing that there's a whole scene in Vancouver that I was completely unaware of until shooting for Not Your Scene.  So many alt acts that don't get enough exposure due to lack of publication and radio play.  

Next up comes Process, another local act consisting of vocalist Jim Huhn, guitarists Cambie Kroetsch and Maurice Williams, bassist Vincent Lee Borden and drummer Adrian White.  Not too much is known about them (limited details on their Facebook, no website) but these guys were rowdy and definitely got the crowd rolling.

My friend and former boss introduced me to the next act, the Dayglo Abortions, and I never realized how much of an influence they were on the Canadian punk scene.  Hailing from across the Georgia Strait in Victoria, the boys have been stirring up a shitstorm with controversial album-artwork and lyricism that convey a complete disregard for social norms.  Various obscenity charges have been laid against the band that have been dropped as the Dayglos are willing to push the agenda in our overly politically correct society.  As of late, their lyrics have been somewhat politicized after the release of Holy Shiite, with songs critiquing scientology, the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the hypocrisy of pro-lifers and evangelicals of our southern neighbors. Despite minor amp malfunctions for one of the guitars, the energy was on high for everyone.  The show was a gongshow to say the least - some of my favourite kinds of shows!  

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Setlists 

Unfortunately I was unable to obtain setlists from Aggression, Golers and Process

Dayglo Abortions

1. Your Facebook Can Kiss My Assbook
2. Sick of Your Lies
3. Stupid Songs
4. The New Plaque
5. No More Bullshit
6. Religious Bumfucks
7. To Prove That We Are Free
8. Dishwasher
9. Velcro Shoes
10. Two Dogs Fucking
11. Scared of People
12. Black Sabbath
13. Dragons
14. Fuck Satan to Death