Yowza! Saturday night was a melting pot of birthdays, friends, and 4 of Vancouver’s finest bands all under one small jam-packed roof. Getting over the ridiculous layout of The Railway takes some time getting used to if you’re not a regular, but the sound is always consistently good and bands seem to love playing this room, so who am i to complain?
Go Ghetto Tiger opened the night with their spacey retro synth-pop from the distant future. And a special night it was, as it was lead guy, Marquo Blacquiere’s birthday! Definitely hooky with strong ruby slipper-gazing elements and an inspired live set that kept my head movin’. Though I haven’t heard much from Go Ghetto, I now understand the appeal and will keep them in my radar.
After a short break to set up, the 7-piece East Van party collective known as Bike took the stage. More unfamiliar territory for me, Bike surprised and amazed with their ability to bring the party and kick it up 3 levels. They were SOO much fun and had an energy that didn't wane until their gear was off the stage, but even then members of the band were still bringing it throughout the night. Im always a big fan of bands who incorporate silly chants, sexy horns, happy leaping and hand clapping into their live set. No band should be embarrassed to clap their hands.... it’s the new nu, actually, that and being REALLY fucking happy to perform. There’s nothing cooler than that, pally.
Up next was Scatterheart. This was the first time in over 2 years that I’ve born witness to the love rock waterfall of goodness let loose, and Gawd-DAMN have they grown as a band! First of all, the band is 1000% tighter then i ever remember them to be, effortlessly blending from one song to the next and putting everything they had into fully entertaining everyone in that room. I heard some dude behind me thumbing his nose at Jesse's getup, only to be staring with wide-eyed glee 20 minutes later once the band kicked into overdrive. Which only shows that all you really need is love and Scatterheart was fully prepared to generously heap it all over the place.
And speaking of love, Hawaiian Bibles, my favorite little group that could took the stage at about 1AM, proceeding to play a wonderfully dirty and sloppy set. These guys have been consistent in putting on awesome shows, and tonight was no exception as we were given a dose of unrestrained and unabashed rock glory. Hawaiian Bibles pretty much set their instruments on fire and gave it their all, hardly batting an eyelash when Devin's bass setup cut out during 'Good People In The City’, and in true professional style he simply plugged straight into the amp 'old school style' and bashed through the rest of the set like a crazy person. This was a night of birthdays, bliss, the unruly and the magical. This was a night to remember! Posted: Jul 17, 2008