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

LIVE REVIEWS
Charles Bradley
The Commodore Ballroom
May 20, 2016
While the story of Charles Bradley (his years of toiling
as James Brown impersonator Black Velvet until
his discovery by Daptone Records founder Gabriel
Roth and subsequent collaboration with musician
Tom Brenneck) might make up some of the reason
his live show was an unparalleled experience of
magic, that only cracks the surface of what went on
at his recent gig at The Commodore.
Part of the magic stems from the raw emotion
on display. Bradley’s songs are unfiltered and his
scream is piercing. Whether it’s expressing anguish
about the state of the world as in the highlight “The
World (Is Going Up in Flames),” the smouldering
warnings of “Ain’t it a Sin,” or the crushing feelings
of loss conjured by his cover of Black Sabbath’s
“Changes,” by the end there was nary a dry eye in
the house.
Another part of the magic is created by his theatricality.
For 67 years old, Bradley still has got himself
some moves, with frequent mic stand kicks, the robot,
his “screaming eagle” pose, heart symbols, and hip
gyrations that would make a boy band blush. His face,
wizened through the years with deep lines, expresses
emotion with a clarity and pathos that is inimitable.
He made “love” the centrepiece of the show and
ended his set by hugging multiple concert-goers in
what seemed like an authentic display of cathartic
release, telling one crowd member that he was
special and he loved him “like my own son.” A short
encore ended with an extended parable about the
colour of roses, with two groups of black and red
roses brought to the stage and passed to the crowd
by what appeared to be a moved Bradley.
• Graeme Wiggins
photo: Galen Robinson Exo
photo: Bev Davies
Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Commodore Ballroom
May 23, 2016
There are two types of people who go to a
Brian Jonestown Massacre show — those who
have read storied accounts of lead singer and
mastermind Anton Newcombe having headline
bait meltdowns on stage, and those who have
always known about the band’s otherworldly
skills at gripping psych jams. The second group
was given exactly what they were after when
BJM melted our brains all over the Commodore
Ballroom at the tail end of the May long weekend.
Playing a great assortment of tunes from
their back catalogue, Newcombe and his crew
of weary but loyal comrades also gave us big
meaty tastes of 2015’s Mini Album Thingy Wingy.
The throbbing, psychedelic “mini” masterpiece
was served well on a live stage, leaving room
for long solos and the kind of overlapping guitar
you can follow into the bright orange stage lights
and fog, like you are watching them drive down
the well-worn paths in the desert of your mind.
“Here Comes the Waiting for the Sun” in particular
plays very well live; its ridiculously high
stakes, lonely roving lead, relentless rhythm,
and the always indelible tambourine courtesy
of fan favorite Joel Gion make it into a road trip
you feel like you’ve been personally invited along
on. BJM (also known as the band you love to
hate and the band you hate to love) has come a
long way, through many minefields of creativity
and personal strife, but one thing has always
remained and was well on display this evening:
this band is dangerously intriguing and really
good at what they do.
• Jennie Orton
June 2016 REVIEWS
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