Rifflandia 2009 – Day Two
After a dinner involving raw oysters (maybe not best thought out pre-concert dining choice), we headed over to the Alix Goolden hall as I already saw line forming before 5pm and Aidan Knight didn't even go on till 7:30p. We got there just as Aidan was in the midst of his first song. Luckily there were some seats left at the front to the side of the stage, well, only somewhat luckily, as my view was blocked a bit by a speaker although I could still see Aidan and he was playing solo. Aidan's songs are a nice, mellow singer-songwriter style but with some really fun and quirky lyrics. His personality really comes through in his songs as is easy to tell from the banter with the crowd in between songs. They may have come for Tegan & Sara but they were definitely charmed by the “Old Heartbreaker” to quote Aidan. His Michael Cera-esque mannerisms were hilarious in that slightly awkward way but he was very self-assured and that was really present in his playing. I'm sure Aidan gained a fair number of fans last night even if they were disappointed to hear that he's already taken (sorry ladies).
After he finished his set, we were greeted by a friend and fellow music lover by the name of Michelle Edwards whom we knew from commenting on the CBC Radio 3 blog. An Horse then took the stage and the crowd couldn't be happier. I'd never heard the Brisbane duo before but they seemed like a perfect match for a bill with Tegan and Sara. They had an awesome rock/folk styling a little in the same vein but not really, they have their own thing going on. We lucked out even more as Michelle texted us into the first song that she had room for us up in the front row on the balcony and as I couldn't even see the drummer, Damon, this was a welcome upgrade. There was a lot of banter with the crowd who was just buzzing with excitement and love for the performers. At one point a girl shouted out “Jesus loves you” and Kate yelled back “I'm sure he loves you too”. These guys had a great time playing and you could tell it, I thoroughly enjoyed their type of rock/pop/folk but how could one not for as their MySpace says, they sound like true love. I think both bands just fed off the massive energy in the room, which just made for a magnificent showcase even before Tegan or Sara took the stage. We could even see them watching An Horse's set from the sidelines and were really getting into it.
Finally came the moment everyone was waiting for, Tegan and Sara were about to take the stage. The stereo started blaring (Your love keeps lifting me) Higher and Higher which makes me think Ghostbusters II and then the lights went out and the crowd lost it, the screams and cheers were deafening, you could tell this crowd was dying to see Tegan & Sara. When the lights came back on there was some endearing banter with the crowd and some sibling rivalry before they tore into hit after hit such as the Con and Walking with the Ghost. Later in the set they asked if it was alright to play some new stuff as they always like to try new stuff in Victoria first, roars of approval from the crowd gave them their answer and they started up Hell. I really liked this new song, it was a heavier rock than a lot of their older stuff. They played a few more new songs like I'm Directing and Red Belt. Red Belt was little lighter and felt like a love ballad and rightfully so. Tegan had explained that it was a long song for the neighbourhood she lives in. Vancouver's eight blocks of hell as the The Province calls it but to us it's just the downtown East Side, an area that definitely needs a little love. From these new songs I can tell that the new album is going to be big. This is the first time I've gotten to see Tegan & Sara and not only was it a fantastic mix of new songs coupled with the ones I know and love but the banter is the part that really makes it a show. It's at times hilarious, cute and even a little bearing. Tegan says that Sara's only nice on stage but I find that somewhat hard to believe. These guys and their backing band really are doing something great and you should make sure you take part if you're given the opportunity. I will admit though, I ducked out near the end because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss music worthy of the gods, Zeus!
So, nary a minutes to spare before Zeus' 10:15p start we left the Alix Goolden Hall to get down the street to Sugar Nightclub. We got in without any hassle and could hear music filling the stairs to the second story so I assumed we had just missed the start of Zeus but when we got to the stage Library Voices were still playing. Looking at the crowd and the band who was especially drenched in sweat, we'd been missing on hell of an energetic and dance inducing performance. I wouldn't expect any less from theses guys and I was glad to catch the last two songs. The crowd hadn't gotten too big yet as I'm sure there was going to be lots of people pouring out of Tegan & Sara and funneling either to the already packed Market Square or Sugar. Myself, I was where I wanted to be and danced away to Library Voices. Once as they finished I got to take in the venue a little better and I will say that after two nights of starting in the Alix Goolden Hall, it was nice to have a beer when out at a show again. It seemed that the sets and the breaks in between were made longer to compensate for Cuff the Duke moving to the Market Square. As much as I would have loved to see Cuff the Duke, the elongated sets were fine with me especially after Zeus took the stage.
Zeus is a band that'd I'd been hearing a lot of buzz about, especially after their tour with Jason Collett. I heard something that they even did the backing playing for him too, but maybe that's just an un-instantiated rumour. I can easily see why people have been talking, their style of pop and roll must only come from living off the manna of the gods. If the above picture of guitar pile-drive tells you anything, it's that this band knows how to put on an awesome show and they just blasted into their set. They were constantly switching up instruments for songs, the poor Wurlitzer keyboard was balancing on the other keyboard. It only had the one tumble to the floor near the start but it's still kicking. The raw energy coming off the stage just electrified the crowd and got their asses moving, mine included. I was already familiar with a few Zeus songs like How Does It Feel and Marching Through Your Head but it was amazing to hear them live with a crowd that was just as excited as I was. Zeus built on that excitement with every song, they were unstoppable up there. Being the merch fiend that I am, I got a shirt immediately after the set, an awesome design of the god himself, Zeus. I hope when Zeus comes to your town, you're there to witness it because someday they'll be filling up huge venues and you might not be able to get in. By the time Zeus ended Sugar was getting really full and the crowd seemed to be descending into their alcoholism. I think there were a lot of people who got turned away from Mother Mother & The Dudes at the Market Square so they piled in here to drink away their dreams of beautifully harmonized vocals and graduating from Dudeversity. Still, if they made it for Zeus I'm sure those dreams were forgotten quickly in the waves of godly music.
After Zeus, The Most Serene Republic took the stage. These Milton based rockers came out to a sweaty crowd that was ready to party. The crowd was really getting into what TMSR was dishing out. They played some familiar songs, which were good, but it seemed that someone had decided that the drunks couldn't hear so they pumped up the volume, which was a shame. I saw instruments go up on stage such as the banjo and violin that I just couldn't make out in the distortion, even when I tried moving farther from the speakers. Still, this didn't deter the crowd at all as they started throwing their arms up and Adrian Jewett threatened to crowd surf even if it meant breaking his spine on the barricade. Don't worry, no Adrian's were actually hurt. They let loose a lot of energy, which is just what the crowd wanted, so much so that they even managed to call TMSR back for an encore. If I knew we could get encores at the festival still, I would have loved to try and get Zeus back up there.
Now that we're all up to speed on Friday night, lets look forward and onwards to tonight! Seems to me there are two really big acts vying over the late night spot, Buck 65 and Pink Mountaintops. Seeing Buck 65 do his thing would be pretty cool but I think I'm going to try and catch Pink Mountaintops. Buck 65 is playing the Market Square, playing before him are Hey Rosetta!, Jets Overhead, Jordan Klassen, Jon and Roy, Penderecki Quartet and Caracol. I'm not that familiar with anyone but Hey Rosetta! who are amazing and if you haven't seen them then this might be the spot for you, but be warned, I think the Market Square is going to fill up again tonight. Especially since the only other all ages venue is the Metro Theatre and it's probably going to be done around 10:30pm. Pink Mountaintops have a more familiar line-up to me with Vancouver rockers The Pack A.D. and local Victorians Hank & Lily. Colourbook and Mexican Power Authority are also on the bill, these guys are some other new ones for me.
Over at Element Nightclub playing at the same time as Hank & Lily (8:30p) is the electronic dance dynamos Holy Fuck. I've never had the pleasure of seeing Holy Fuck so I'm thinking I'll check this show out then head over to Sugar, sadly to miss Hank & Lily who are really amazing. I hope you guys go catch their show, I'm really sad to miss it but I don't think I can pass up Holy Fuck. Something that really caught my eye was the Metro theatre's bands for the night, we've got Laura Smith at 8pm then Char2D2 at 8:45pm and finally at 9:45pm there's Jon-Rae and THE RIVER!? I thought they haven't played together for ages, am I behind the times? I'm inclined to think the guy writing up the printed festival schedules made an error as the site says Jon-Rae Fletcher (although, here's the link: http://www.rifflandia.com/#/line-up/post/103/jon-rae-and-the-river) and same goes Jon-Rae's MySpace. Still, It'd like to see him again and Metro is practically a block from Sugar so we'll see if I can do all the running around to make I happen.
Anyways, those are my thoughts on Saturday night. I'm curious also as to what Brendan Canning's DJ set will be like but it's way out at UVic, I salute those who make the journey for it.
Having a great time here on the Island, hope you are too where ever you are!
- AlexOfAnders
PS. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @AlexOfAnders, ask if you want pictures or anything. I'll do my best to provide. Speaking of providing, here for your entertainment is R3-TV's Dudeversity
After he finished his set, we were greeted by a friend and fellow music lover by the name of Michelle Edwards whom we knew from commenting on the CBC Radio 3 blog. An Horse then took the stage and the crowd couldn't be happier. I'd never heard the Brisbane duo before but they seemed like a perfect match for a bill with Tegan and Sara. They had an awesome rock/folk styling a little in the same vein but not really, they have their own thing going on. We lucked out even more as Michelle texted us into the first song that she had room for us up in the front row on the balcony and as I couldn't even see the drummer, Damon, this was a welcome upgrade. There was a lot of banter with the crowd who was just buzzing with excitement and love for the performers. At one point a girl shouted out “Jesus loves you” and Kate yelled back “I'm sure he loves you too”. These guys had a great time playing and you could tell it, I thoroughly enjoyed their type of rock/pop/folk but how could one not for as their MySpace says, they sound like true love. I think both bands just fed off the massive energy in the room, which just made for a magnificent showcase even before Tegan or Sara took the stage. We could even see them watching An Horse's set from the sidelines and were really getting into it.
Finally came the moment everyone was waiting for, Tegan and Sara were about to take the stage. The stereo started blaring (Your love keeps lifting me) Higher and Higher which makes me think Ghostbusters II and then the lights went out and the crowd lost it, the screams and cheers were deafening, you could tell this crowd was dying to see Tegan & Sara. When the lights came back on there was some endearing banter with the crowd and some sibling rivalry before they tore into hit after hit such as the Con and Walking with the Ghost. Later in the set they asked if it was alright to play some new stuff as they always like to try new stuff in Victoria first, roars of approval from the crowd gave them their answer and they started up Hell. I really liked this new song, it was a heavier rock than a lot of their older stuff. They played a few more new songs like I'm Directing and Red Belt. Red Belt was little lighter and felt like a love ballad and rightfully so. Tegan had explained that it was a long song for the neighbourhood she lives in. Vancouver's eight blocks of hell as the The Province calls it but to us it's just the downtown East Side, an area that definitely needs a little love. From these new songs I can tell that the new album is going to be big. This is the first time I've gotten to see Tegan & Sara and not only was it a fantastic mix of new songs coupled with the ones I know and love but the banter is the part that really makes it a show. It's at times hilarious, cute and even a little bearing. Tegan says that Sara's only nice on stage but I find that somewhat hard to believe. These guys and their backing band really are doing something great and you should make sure you take part if you're given the opportunity. I will admit though, I ducked out near the end because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss music worthy of the gods, Zeus!
So, nary a minutes to spare before Zeus' 10:15p start we left the Alix Goolden Hall to get down the street to Sugar Nightclub. We got in without any hassle and could hear music filling the stairs to the second story so I assumed we had just missed the start of Zeus but when we got to the stage Library Voices were still playing. Looking at the crowd and the band who was especially drenched in sweat, we'd been missing on hell of an energetic and dance inducing performance. I wouldn't expect any less from theses guys and I was glad to catch the last two songs. The crowd hadn't gotten too big yet as I'm sure there was going to be lots of people pouring out of Tegan & Sara and funneling either to the already packed Market Square or Sugar. Myself, I was where I wanted to be and danced away to Library Voices. Once as they finished I got to take in the venue a little better and I will say that after two nights of starting in the Alix Goolden Hall, it was nice to have a beer when out at a show again. It seemed that the sets and the breaks in between were made longer to compensate for Cuff the Duke moving to the Market Square. As much as I would have loved to see Cuff the Duke, the elongated sets were fine with me especially after Zeus took the stage.
Zeus is a band that'd I'd been hearing a lot of buzz about, especially after their tour with Jason Collett. I heard something that they even did the backing playing for him too, but maybe that's just an un-instantiated rumour. I can easily see why people have been talking, their style of pop and roll must only come from living off the manna of the gods. If the above picture of guitar pile-drive tells you anything, it's that this band knows how to put on an awesome show and they just blasted into their set. They were constantly switching up instruments for songs, the poor Wurlitzer keyboard was balancing on the other keyboard. It only had the one tumble to the floor near the start but it's still kicking. The raw energy coming off the stage just electrified the crowd and got their asses moving, mine included. I was already familiar with a few Zeus songs like How Does It Feel and Marching Through Your Head but it was amazing to hear them live with a crowd that was just as excited as I was. Zeus built on that excitement with every song, they were unstoppable up there. Being the merch fiend that I am, I got a shirt immediately after the set, an awesome design of the god himself, Zeus. I hope when Zeus comes to your town, you're there to witness it because someday they'll be filling up huge venues and you might not be able to get in. By the time Zeus ended Sugar was getting really full and the crowd seemed to be descending into their alcoholism. I think there were a lot of people who got turned away from Mother Mother & The Dudes at the Market Square so they piled in here to drink away their dreams of beautifully harmonized vocals and graduating from Dudeversity. Still, if they made it for Zeus I'm sure those dreams were forgotten quickly in the waves of godly music.
After Zeus, The Most Serene Republic took the stage. These Milton based rockers came out to a sweaty crowd that was ready to party. The crowd was really getting into what TMSR was dishing out. They played some familiar songs, which were good, but it seemed that someone had decided that the drunks couldn't hear so they pumped up the volume, which was a shame. I saw instruments go up on stage such as the banjo and violin that I just couldn't make out in the distortion, even when I tried moving farther from the speakers. Still, this didn't deter the crowd at all as they started throwing their arms up and Adrian Jewett threatened to crowd surf even if it meant breaking his spine on the barricade. Don't worry, no Adrian's were actually hurt. They let loose a lot of energy, which is just what the crowd wanted, so much so that they even managed to call TMSR back for an encore. If I knew we could get encores at the festival still, I would have loved to try and get Zeus back up there.
Now that we're all up to speed on Friday night, lets look forward and onwards to tonight! Seems to me there are two really big acts vying over the late night spot, Buck 65 and Pink Mountaintops. Seeing Buck 65 do his thing would be pretty cool but I think I'm going to try and catch Pink Mountaintops. Buck 65 is playing the Market Square, playing before him are Hey Rosetta!, Jets Overhead, Jordan Klassen, Jon and Roy, Penderecki Quartet and Caracol. I'm not that familiar with anyone but Hey Rosetta! who are amazing and if you haven't seen them then this might be the spot for you, but be warned, I think the Market Square is going to fill up again tonight. Especially since the only other all ages venue is the Metro Theatre and it's probably going to be done around 10:30pm. Pink Mountaintops have a more familiar line-up to me with Vancouver rockers The Pack A.D. and local Victorians Hank & Lily. Colourbook and Mexican Power Authority are also on the bill, these guys are some other new ones for me.
Over at Element Nightclub playing at the same time as Hank & Lily (8:30p) is the electronic dance dynamos Holy Fuck. I've never had the pleasure of seeing Holy Fuck so I'm thinking I'll check this show out then head over to Sugar, sadly to miss Hank & Lily who are really amazing. I hope you guys go catch their show, I'm really sad to miss it but I don't think I can pass up Holy Fuck. Something that really caught my eye was the Metro theatre's bands for the night, we've got Laura Smith at 8pm then Char2D2 at 8:45pm and finally at 9:45pm there's Jon-Rae and THE RIVER!? I thought they haven't played together for ages, am I behind the times? I'm inclined to think the guy writing up the printed festival schedules made an error as the site says Jon-Rae Fletcher (although, here's the link: http://www.rifflandia.com/#/line-up/post/103/jon-rae-and-the-river) and same goes Jon-Rae's MySpace. Still, It'd like to see him again and Metro is practically a block from Sugar so we'll see if I can do all the running around to make I happen.
Anyways, those are my thoughts on Saturday night. I'm curious also as to what Brendan Canning's DJ set will be like but it's way out at UVic, I salute those who make the journey for it.
Having a great time here on the Island, hope you are too where ever you are!
- AlexOfAnders
PS. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @AlexOfAnders, ask if you want pictures or anything. I'll do my best to provide. Speaking of providing, here for your entertainment is R3-TV's Dudeversity
Labels: Aidan Knight, An Horse, library voices, Rifflandia, Tegan and Sara, The Most Serene Republic, Zeus
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