Tuesday, April 28, 2026
you'll cry at commercials/at an unbolted leg scraping against the ground
Johanna Samuels - Two People, The Moon
you'll cry at commercials/at an unbolted leg scraping against the ground
On Friday, I was at the Vogue to see Wednesday.
Bleeds was one my favourite records of 2025, so I was pretty amped about hearing the songs in the flesh. And I certainly wasn't alone, because the Vogue was sold out. It was a (relatively?) rare show where they pulled the seats from the Orchestra of the theatre though, so while the bottom half of the venue was packed, it was pretty roomy in the old person seats upstairs and I ended up with a great view, even though my friend and showed up right as Gouge Away was playing their first few notes.
I saw Wednesday on the Twin Plagues tour and thought they were just okay. Maybe it was my mood--I had to come straight from a work thing--but they rocked on Friday night. We were treated to all of the bands many personalities (although they never got as hushed as on something like "The Way Love Goes"). And while I'm most partial to the twangier tunes on record, the noisier ones unsurprisingly popped the most live. They closed with the straight up hardcore of "Wasp" and in very punk fashion ended the night right there with no encore.
We're very lucky that Gouge Away must be excellent tour mates, because they've played here three times in the last 14-months and none of them have been headlining shows.
When I was planning when to arrive, I texted my friend that we could "meet for a drink if you've got time, but if you can't make it for 8pm, I'll send you your ticket." We were able to do grab a couple beers and make it on time and I'll leave you with Tyler's review of the openers: "holy fuck this band is good."
Album of the week
Friko - Something Worth Waiting For
I swore these guys must be British or something, but apparently the singer (and the other dudes) all grew up outside of Chicago. I don't know how he ended up sounding like this, but I dig it.
Song of the week
"You know how there’s a cinematic trope/ About two people and the moon?/ She’s looking up at it the same time as you."
Classic of the week
Gary Stewart - She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)
One of two covers that Wednesday unleashed on the weekend.
More heat
Jody Glenham - Love Deficiency Syndrome
I have been living with Jody's new EP for awhile, but it's out there for everybody now and you should listen to it (and I'm not just saying that cause she put me in someone's liner notes for the first time in a couple of decades). Go see her play it on Thursday at the Fox.
The Abramsons Singers - Can You See It Now
Hey, speaking of my favourite songwriters in Vancouver, here's another one. Leah's new one is weird and wonderful in a way that's been so uniquely her since she started using the Abramson Singers moniker. She is not playing it this week, but promises (maybe) some future shows.
Francis of Delerium - Requiem for a Dying Day
I can't think of anything to say that's better than what Jana Bahrich said about this song already (via Stereogum):
"Requiem for a Dying Day" began after reading about Katy Perry going to space and then developed into this pre-emptive mourning and grief for our future. I wanted the video to be done in claymation because the form itself is a celebration of process and slowness. All the work that has been put into it is blatantly on display, every thumbprint and every minor adjustment. We are hurtling towards our future without much pause or forethought. I wanted this video to be an attempt at the opposite, so I chose the most painstaking medium I could think of.
Big Brave - In Grief or in Hope
Every Big Brave song I've heard finishes and I think "man, that band is so fucking cool" and this one's no different. Catch them with the Body at the Cobalt on July 21st for a real scorcher of a double bill.
Vince Staples - Blackberry Marmalade
I am unsurprisingly very into Vince Staples doing post-punk.
now playing: Mirah - Look Up!
