BeatRoute Magazine B.C. print e-edition - May 2016

LIVE REVIEWS
Father John Misty
The Orpheum
April 5, 2016
Father John Misty’s Vancouver show wasn’t
scented with “Innocence,” his collaboration
with Sanae Intoxicants, but something headier
— reverence, joviality, and pheromones.
More than notes of orange and vanilla, this
suited The Orpheum’s opulence and J. Tillman’s
performance.
Banter wasn’t missed because the
anecdotal quality of songs like “Bored in
the USA,” complete with the whipping
out of a cell phone to record himself, and
“This is Sally Hatchet” satisfied the soldout
crowd. Tillman’s narratives achieved
proportionate heights (he is impressively
tall) within the enormous theatrical
setting, which he expertly steered,
sometimes one-handed when the other
was occupied with a glass of wine.
Flourishes of hands and hips, backbends,
knee-falls, and a bouquet-crotchrubbing
incidence fleshed out the stories.
Supported by up to six musicians at one
time, Tillman held the audience rapt and
swaying, even twirling in couples.
Vancouver was the third show in a monthlong
tour, one of three in Canada. From
opener “Everyman Needs a Companion” to
his encore solo performance of “I Went to the
Store One Day” and the climactic rock ‘n’ roll
frenzy of “The Ideal Husband,” Tillman gave
equal time to 2012’s Fear Fun and last year’s
I Love You, Honeybear, and played a cover
of The Beatles’ “Revolution.” The Orpheum
is always acoustically and physically
impressive, that Tillman could match it with
his talent, swagger, and showmanship for
90 minutes is a testament nonetheless.
• Thalia Stopa
photo: Sarah Whitlam
Death From Above 1979 with
Eagles of Death Metal
PNE Forum
April 26, 2016
When the black t-shirt clad, long-haired, jean
vested masses all descend upon a venue at
the same time, you can be sure a proper rock
‘n’ roll show is happening. Such was the case
at the PNE Forum for the thrilling doubleheader
of Canadian noise-punk duo Death
From Above 1979 and cock rock warriors
Eagles of Death Metal. The coming together
of these two powerhouses clearly excited
the audience, as crowds filled up the beer
gardens, downing drinks in eager anticipation.
When the Paris terror attacks in November
of 2015 happened, Eagles of Death Metal were
directly at the centre of it all. The unfortunate
tragedy boosted the band’s profile significantly,
but the band didn’t take a second to reflect
or rest on that. Instead, Jesse Hughes and
co. (the band was Josh Homme-less for this
tour) took to the stage like they had something
to prove. Wearing a tight neon pink shirt,
over-sized aviator sunglasses, and donning
his signature moustache, Hughes wasted no
time strutting around the stage with his guitar,
winning over the audience completely by the
end of opening number “I Only Want You.”
Throughout the performance the band were
tight, sweaty, sleazy and full of bravado.
After a brief intermission, and one long
beer line later, Death From Above 1979 took
to the stage. If there is one thing to be said
about DFA 1979, they are a LOUD band. The
duo of Jesse Keeler (bass/ keyboards) and
Sebastian Grainger (drums/ vocals) have the
amazing ability to sound more full and create
more noise than most bands that are double
or triple their size. Opening their set with
the anthemic “Always On,” from their postreunion
album, The Physical World, was like
a punch to the gut as the sound pummelled
the crowd. Audience members ate it up and
the crowd reached frenzied heights when
three songs into the set, the band played “Turn
It Out,” the opening track from the classic
debut, You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine. The
band seemed gracious to be playing to such
a large crowd, but didn’t waste much time
speaking. Backed with an excellent light show,
DFA 1979 ripped through almost every track
off their two albums, including the live debut
of fan favourite “Sexy Results,” leaving the
rock craved masses more than satisfied.
• Joshua Erickson
photo: Galen Robinson-Exo
May 2016 REVIEWS
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