Vampire Weekend

We reviewed Vampire Weekend's show Thursday night. Go to Beyond Robson to see the full review and pictures!

Vampire Weekend
By Andrea Warner

While no blood was actually shed at the Vampire Weekend show at Richard's on Thursday night, I have the pulled neck and bruises to prove I was front and centre for the best show Vancouver's seen this year.

Opening band YACHT took the sold-out crowd by storm, turning Richards on Richards into a head-bopping, ass-shaking, sweat-filled aerobics class. Lead singer Jona and new sidekick Claire worked the stage like kids who forgot to take their Ritalin, all sexy-awkward high kicks, jumps, and bumps 'n grinds. Jona looks like the real-life manifestation of Napoleon Dynamite. A dance off between the two would be heaven.

When Vampire Weekend came out about a half-hour later, the excitement from YACHT's set still hadn't worn off. The band looked like nice college kids who'd just come from the library, until they ripped in to their very first song, Mansard Roof. It's impossible to know whether a super-hyped band (like Vampire Weekend) will live up to all the buzz, so it's a huge relief when they do. The set was tight, the audience knew all of the words, and you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be won over by Vampire Weekend's shyly befuddled smiles of 'how the hell did this happen?'

Into the Woods

Into the Woods is on now until March 29th. You should go!

My review appeared on Beyond Robson last week, and I've posted it below as well.

Into the Woods
By Andrea Warner

Long before Shrek, there was another twisted, more sophisticated take on fairy tales to answer the question of "What happens after happily ever after?"

Into the Woods, on now at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, is the hit Broadway musical from Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street). More than any of his other productions, Into the Woods is stuffed to the brim with memorable characters and witty, wonderful songs.

Many of our nostalgic favourites get the revamped treatment, their intentions and their morals as compromised as any real person: Jack, with the bean stalk, is lovable but dim-witted; Little Red Riding Hood wields a knife with delectable pleasure; Rapunzel is a traumatized Virgin Mary, held captive by a wicked witch who just wants to be a mother.

The cast is fantastic, and the energy is high. A few performances to note: Jonathan Winsby and Ryan Reid as the two vapid but charming Princes are fun lotharios, and their voices blend beautifully on their two duets. Linda Quibell as the Witch alternates between heartbreak and evil, her powerful voice propelling many of the more emotional songs in the second half. Ultimately, it's Ingrid Nilson, as Little Red Riding Hood, who steals the show with excellent comedic timing, a unique voice, and a striking resemblance to a shrunken Reese Witherspoon.

It's a family friendly production to some extent, but some of the themes are mature (infidelity, revenge), and the body count is high throughout the more somber second half. The venue is small and intimate, and it's rare to attend a musical that isn't distorted by microphones. This is Patrick Street Productions' first show, and it's gratifying to see them tackle such a large-scale production so successfully.

Into the Woods continues until March 29th at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre.

British Sea Power at the Plaza

You can read my review of British Sea Power at the Plaza on Beyond Robson.

Here's a preview:

A combination of crappy crowd and uninspired performances came close to making British Sea Power at the Plaza on Wednesday night a complete wash.

The lackluster Elizabeth opened the show, and they tried to get the audience engaged, but it wasn't happening. A three-foot circumference remained empty around the stage for the majority of Elizabeth's set, until the lead singer finally implored the audience to come closer. With just one song left, it felt a bit too little too late for such antics. And, nothing's sadder than a failed clap-along.

Well, except two failed clap-alongs. colourmusic followed Elizabeth, and also failed to make any kind of connection with the crowd. Major problems with the sound prompted an uncomfortably long break between sets, and colourmusic never seemed to recover from the off-putting start. The band's white track suits make a great visual statement, but they, too, failed to get the audience moving. The sound was muddled, which may or may not be more of an issue with the venue. colourmusic have a lot of huge ideas, but the concept felt lost that night. It'll be interesting to see them the next time they come to town. It felt like there was promise there.

Mountain Goats!

Carlos and I reviewed the Mountain Goats Friday night for Beyond Robson.

The Mountain Goats kicked off their tour in support of their new album, Heretic Pride, at Richards on Richards Friday night, and the pent up energy from their winter hibernation was contagious.

Opening act Jeffrey Lewis and the Jitters set the night off to a great start with an a capella ode to ramen noodles. The band's art-punk sing-song bittersweetness was a great compliment to the Mountain Goat's humourously dark, pulsing indie rock. My favourite moments consisted of Lewis's man-child "films" (large picture books, see the slide show) that illustrated songs about a monster's dismembered hand, and growing up.

Read the full review!

Léo at the Firehall Arts Centre

You can check out my full review on Beyond Robson!

Léo at the Firehall Arts Centre
By Andrea Warner

At the centre of the story is Léo (Salvatore Antonio), a poet who fluctuates between impassioned declarations, beautiful imagery, and an almost nihilistic selfishness. Rodrigo (Sergio Di Zio) and Isolde (Lesley Faulkner) are the best friends who form the other sides of this complicated triangle, as love, betrayal, and growing up steer the trajectory of the trio's intertwined fate.

OUTloud review on Beyond Robson

I've posted my review of last night's OUTloud reading on Beyond Robson, so make sure you check it out when you get a chance!