Archive of ‘Concert Photography‘

On July 16th, Canadians across the country gathered at national parks to celebrate Parks Canada’s 100th Anniversary. Here in Vancouver, we were treated to a day of free activities and concerts, ending with an explosive performance by Somali-Canadian superstar, K’naan.

Got stuck on the left side of the stage. If there’s one thing K’naan didn’t do, it’s look right often.

That said, he did just about everything else – and with great flair.

Conjure One, led by Rhys Fulber, is a name I remember fondly from my early days in electronic music, and one I hadn’t heard in years. Given the opportunity to review the show, I jumped at the chance. Time changes many things, but Fulber’s signature soundscapes and intricate trip-hop rhythms are not amongst them. With the vocal and bass talents of Leah Randi, the duo recreated the Conjure One experience I left in memories long ago. In typical fashion, I spent my night scrambling for the perfect shot, and was sore to find that the 45-minute set had passed me by. Thankfully, Fulber saved the best for last, closing with his marquee track, “Centre of the Sun” – a song responsible for my love affair with electronic music. With this show and his recent ascension up the trance charts via Marcus Schossow’s remix of “Like Ice” – Conjure One is back and this time I’m not letting go.

The second half of the night was a less familiar experience. Before any creative assignment, understanding your subject matter is paramount. Being familiar with Conjure One, and knowing that Rhys Fulber had been a part of Front Line Assembly (FLA), I assumed we were getting more of the same. Nope. Boy was I wrong. Front Line Assembly is industrial – mechanical, sinister-sounding stuff – a far cry from Conjure One. The dude wearing the “I HATE EVERYBODY” shirt should have tipped me off. Even at 53, lead singer Bill Leeb pulled the crowd into a frenzy and seemed anxious to join the fray himself, rocking on his heels most of the night. Musically, I’m not qualified to say much, but if you enjoy the mosh pit, Front Line Assembly is a great way to go.

Saturday evening was full of captivating music and local Vancouver talent, as Robert Wilson and Frazey Ford took the stage at Fortune Sound Club. The venue itself was a diamond in the rough – an intimate, modern setup smack in the middle of Chinatown – and on this night, it shone even brighter with Robert and Frazey at the helm.

First up was Robert Wilson, who serenaded us with his smooth, easy-listening stylings, and rocked a fedora the way it was intended. He and his fantastical crew had some pretty special chemistry, evident in the way they played off of each other; it wasn’t long before everyone was swaying to the beat of their tambourine. Robert put some serious passion into his songs, and brought a refreshing new voice to my musical repertoire; he will certainly be making his debut on my playlists very soon.

Next, it was time for the star of the evening, Frazey Ford, to take the stage. She emerged solo and sang her first song au natural – just a girl and her guitar, illuminated by a spotlight. Her voice cut right through the crowd, and Vancouver was immediately addicted. Frazey’s band, The Quiet Revolution, joined her for the rest of the set, and we spent the night getting to know Frazey’s quirky personality, while floating along to the delicate melodies she sang.

I loved the subtle vibrato in her voice that made each note seem to tingle with soul. Combined with the gentle plucking of guitar and banjo strings, the crowd received an authentically bluesy, rootsy, musical experience, and Frazey delivered it brilliantly. One of the highlights of the night for me was her performance of “Mimi Song”, a piece she wrote for her grandmother shortly after she passed. Despite the humorous anecdote Frazey used to introduce the song, its acoustic, heart-felt delivery gave me goose bumps – no easy feat, considering I was nestled amongst a sea of people crowding the stage. Another highlight of the night was enjoying Frazey’s latest single, “Blue Streak Mama”, which had the whole crowd singing along. It was great to see the loyal following that she has created for herself here in Vancouver.

The show came to an end a little sooner than expected, as Frazey and her crew were given a ten-minute warning just before 11 o’clock. She finished off as a seductive crooner with a killer version of Al Green’s classic love song, “Let’s Stay Together”, that had couples throughout the venue holding each other close. When the crowd refused to let them leave so quickly, Frazey and The Quiet Revolution returned to deliver a beautiful a capella encore performance. If the audience wasn’t already blown away with her natural talent, this was sure to have done the trick. Frazey sang this song as beautifully as the rest, and left her mark on all of us that night. I know I’m hooked.

- Yours truly, Katie (@bottledsound)

A Note From Jeremy: My blog isn’t big enough for all this goodness, so we’ve got more photos from the show on Flickr. Like what you see? Stay in touch! Find me Twitter and Facebook, and don’t forget to follow Katie and Aleisha (@bottledSound) on Twitter for more of their concert reviews.